April 4 edition

Robert

invited to celebrate Robert Smalls’ 185th birthday in Beaufort Let’s have a party … or 2

Community

From staff reports

Black or white, young or old, Republican or Democrat –it’s a day so big in Beaufort, just about everyone should be celebrating.

Friday, April 5 marks the 185th birthday of Beaufort’s Civil War hero Robert Smalls, and the community is honoring the legacy of the man whose name has become part of everyday life in the Lowcountry.

First, there is a birthday celebration scheduled for 11 a.m., at Tabernacle Baptist Church, 901 Craven Street. The public is cordially invited to the event sponsored by Rev. Kenneth Hodges and the Beaufort Republican Women’s Club. Smalls founded the Republican Party in South Carolina. S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson will be the Keynote speaker, and Riverview Charter School will make a video presentation. There is no charge for the event, but donations to the Harriet Tubman Memorial Fund are accepted. Cake and punch will be served.

Smalls was born in April 5, 1839, in a cabin behind his owner’s house at 511 Prince Street in Beaufort. He later became a Civil War hero and a career public servant. Public domain

Earlier this year, Allan Lassiter of Lady's Island took this late afternoon sun photo with sailboats in the Beaufort River from the Beaufort Waterfront Park. To submit a Lowcountry Life photo, you must be the photographer or have permission to submit the photo to be published in The Island News. Please submit high-resolution photos and include a description and/or names of the people in the picture and the name of the photographer. Email your photos to theislandnews@gmail.com.

VETERAN OF THE WEEK MARK CAESARS

Beaufort’s Mark Caesars, 68 joined the United States Marine Corps in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1975. After Boot Camp in San Diego, he trained as an Advanced Jet Mechanic. His first duty station was at MCAS Cherry Point, N.C., followed by duty at Andrews AFB in Wash-

ington, D.C. He next served at MCAS Beaufort from which he made deployments, each lasting about a year, to Iwakuni, Japan (twice); South Korea during Desert Storm; and Aviano, Italy. He also made six-month deployments to the Mediterranean aboard USS America (CV66) and USS Teddy Roosevelt (CVN-71). He retired in 1996 as a Gunnery Sergeant with 21 years of active service. He then worked in Beau-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Thank you for diversity

I want to commend you for the recent diversity you've printed on the Voices pages. It's a welcome surprise after so many years of the liberal ideology we've been subjected to. And the latest article by Mr. Paul Hyde overwhelmingly validates what Senator Chip Campsen was trying to get everyone to understand when the socalled "Constitutional Carry" bill was being discussed.

ON THIS DATE

April 4

The average thinking person finds it hard to understand why the Legislature would replace our Concealed Weapon law which required training to learn how to handle a gun, as well as a background check on the individual purchaser, and replace it with an invitation for every bad egg in the State to walk around with a gun in his pocket.

It's a sad day in America when a group of like-minded people who don't even live in our State can mail out their large, slick propaganda asking our voters to jump on

their Senators or Representatives who don't agree with their misguided agenda. It's also sad that so many people don't bother to do their research or call the elected official who is being hammered by out-of-state money.

Mr. Hyde is absolutely correct with the statement "we're moving in the wrong direction. Permit-less carry, a colossal selfinflicted wound for South Carolina, makes us all less safe."

– Edie Rodgers, Beaufort

1922: Harriet Keyserling, daughter of Isador Hirschfeld and Pauline Steinberg, is born in New York City. After marrying Dr. Herbert Keyserling in 1944, she moved south where she represented Beaufort for 16 years in the state legislature. She was elected to Beaufort County Council in 1974 and served one term. Then from 1977 to 1993, Keyserling spent her time in the statehouse focused on energy, nuclear waste, the arts, education, women’s rights and ending the filibuster in the House. She was the mother of longtime Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling.

2019: About 50 people gather in front of Congressman Joe Cunningham’s office on Boundary Street to protest the failure of the Trump Administration to release Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

April 5

April 6

2019: Former U.S. Senator and S.C. Governor Fritz Hollings, a longtime mentor to Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling, dies at the age of 97

2019: The NAO Santa Maria, a hand-built replica of the largest of Christopher Columbus’ 15th-century ships that sailed to the Americas from Spain, visits Beaufort. The ship, open for tours, stayed in Beaufort for eight days.

April 9

1839: Robert Smalls is born into slavery in Beaufort. During the Civil War, Smalls became a hero for the Union. He freed himself, his crew, and their families by commandeering the CSS Planter on May 13 1862 in Charleston harbor and sailing it through the Confederate-controlled waters of the harbor to the U.S. blockade at sea. After the Civil War, Smalls returned to Beaufort and won election as a Republican to the South Carolina Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives during Reconstruction. He authored state legislation providing for South Carolina to have the first free and compulsory public school system in the United States and he founded the Republican Party of South Carolina. He served five terms in Congress.

1890: Robert Smalls marries Charleston schoolteacher Annie E. Wigg. It was Smalls’ second marriage. – Compiled by Mike McCombs

Audit raises red flags about Beaufort County procurement code, P-Card system NEWS

By Delayna Earley The Island News

An audit of the procurement code and P-Card system in Beaufort County government has found a long list of violations of its spending guidelines.

The investigation led by the law firm Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, which took several months to conclude, found that members of Beaufort County’s staff and elected officials failed to adhere to the county’s procurement code and P-Card manual.

The report that was presented during the council meeting was abridged into less than three pages despite an investigation that required hundreds of hours of work, according to Passiment. The investigation was requested following the firing of former Beaufort County Administrator Eric Greenway in July 2023 Purchases made through the county’s procurement system and using the P-Card system were the focus of the

Boyd Nicholson Jr., managing director of the law firm that was hired by the county in late 2023, spoke to Beaufort County Council on March 25, although the council members had been briefed on the findings before the meeting. “They are not good,” Council Chairman Joseph Passiment said in a statement before Nicholson spoke. “We did not expect them to be good.”

investigation.

The firm reviewed procurement purchases made in 2023 and P-Card system purchases from 2019-2023 and they were tasked with finding transactions that did not meet county guidelines.

Greenway was the only person who was mentioned in the report by name, although procurement code violations that were identified in the report included

ones that have been covered extensively in the media.

The report identified three instances of procurement code violations which have been covered previously by The Island News –a contract executed by Greenway for consulting services with Elementzal LLC; the near $36,000 purchase of weighted blankets from a business co-owned by the former Deputy County Administrator Whitney Richland; and the unauthorized purchase of an inclusive playground costing $800,000 by former Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Loper. Richland resigned from her job in August 2023, and Loper was fired in October 2023 for her treatment

of an employee.

The firm reviewed thousands of documents and conducted interviews with former and current county employees to collect the necessary information to form their report and assessment of the procurement code and P-Card system.

Not included in the report was information giving any idea as to how much of the taxpayers’ money was spent inappropriately due to the “flagrant violations” of the procurement code.

The purchases made on county P-Cards since 2019 were described as “excessive, personal, frivolous, not business driven and often in violation of the county’s P-Card manual,” said Nicholson.

Violating purchases included things like an Apple watch, earbuds, cellphone cases, meals, office decorations and “inappropriate books.”

Interim County Administrator John Robinson addressed council following Nicholson’s report and spoke to the steps that Beaufort County has taken since Greenway’s firing in July 2023 to rectify some of the issues with the county staff’s understanding of the procurement code and P-Card system.

Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna. theislandnews@gmail.com.

Non-partisan organizations hosting Meet and Greet

3 confirmed for 1st Congressional District candidate for event set for April 10

From staff reports

Local non-partisan organizations Indivisible Beaufort, Families Against Book Bans, Lowcountry Pride and League of Women Voters of Beaufort are hosting a Meet and Greet Forum for all candidates running for South Carolina’s 1 Congressional District seat, currently held by Republican Nancy Mace. The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 10 at Shellring Ale Works, 1111 11th St, Port Royal. It will provide a platform for constituents to engage

with the candidates in an open and inclusive setting.

All candidates running for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat have been invited to attend the forum and share their platforms with the community.

As of Tuesday, April 2, Mac DeFord (D), Michael B. Moore (D) and Catherine Templeton (R) have committed to attend. Bill Young (R) is unable to attend but will send a written statement to be read as well as his responses to the forum questions.

The non-partisan nature of the event ensures that all candidates have an equal opportunity to engage with voters, present their ideas, and address key issues that are important to the residents of South Carolina Congressional District 1

ADVANCED ORTHOPEDIC OPTIONS TO RELIEVE BACK AND NECK PAIN

When unmanageable neck or back pain gets in your way, it’s time for the board-certified, fellowship-trained experts at Beaufort Memorial to give you relief.

At Beaufort Memorial you also find:

Whether you experienced a recent injury or have a chronic condition, Beaufort Memorial has your back. The Advanced Orthopedics and Spine Program at Beaufort Memorial brings together state-of-the-art technologies and top spine care experts to address a range of conditions that cause neck and back pain. Let our team create an individualized care plan, exploring both nonsurgical and surgical treatment options, so you can get back to life.

• Innovative solutions that improve your mobility and allow for more natural movement

• An Optimization Program that follows you through the process to ensure the best outcomes

• Advanced procedures that spare healthy tissue and speed recovery

• Outpatient surgeries that allow many patients to go home the same day

Visit BeaufortMemorial.org/SpineCare

Beaufort Human Library back for 4th edition

From staff reports

The Beaufort Human Library project is back once again to promote empathy and understanding across the community by offering the public opportunities to “check out” more than a dozen volunteer Human Books who will be sharing their personal stories of facing challenges and striving for acceptance.

These engaging conversations will cover topics including education, military service, healthcare, gender, race, faith, immigration, addiction, abuse, and widowhood, among others. As a result of their experiences, these “Human

Books” are often subjected to prejudice, stigmatization, discrimination or violence. The dialogues focus on building bridges of understanding, person to person, through storytelling.

The fourth edition of the Beaufort Human Library will be held on opening day of National Library Week – Sunday, April 7 – from 12:30 to 4 p.m. in MacLean Hall, Building 12 of the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) at 104 Reynolds Street in Beaufort.

Free and open to the public, the event is hosted by TCL; the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Cen-

County Council to host forums on transportation tax referendum

From staff reports Beaufort County Council will host several informational forums in April to answer questions regarding November's 2024 Transportation and Sales Use Tax referendum. The first meeting will be at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 4, in County Council Chambers, 100 Ribaut Road. The remainder of the schedule is as follows:

Thursday, April 11 6 p.m.: Hilton Head Island Branch Library, 11 Beach City Road. Thursday, April 18, 6 p.m.: Buckwalter Recreation Center, 905 Buckwalter Parkway. Monday, April 29, 6 p.m.: St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road.

Ethics

from page A1

These informational meetings are intended to help the public understand what projects the sales and use tax money will fund if voters pass the referendum in November. Materials will be available for citizens to gain a greater understanding of sales tax in general as well a recap of past and current projects funded through transportation sales tax in Beaufort County. County Council members will be in attendance and guest speaker will be Jared Fralix, Assistant County Administrator for Infrastructure.

The meetings are open to the public and no RSVP is required. For more information, please contact the Clerk to Council's Office at 843-2552180

na,” at which time the plan was for Loper to go through the appointment process for the role of director. When reached for comment today, Lynn told The Island News, “During Ms. Loper’s interview process, she openly disclosed to the City that certain issues were pending resolution with the State of South Carolina. Despite efforts by the city to seek clarification from the State’s Ethics Commission, no definitive information could be obtained due to the documentation available to me. The City will withhold further comments at this time to uphold the integrity of the process and await its conclusion.”

Loper’s termination for her treatment of an employee in October 2023, came just two weeks after Beaufort County Council approved the construction, after its completion, of an inclusive playground in Port Royal that Loper authorized, despite not following the proper procurement procedure for the nearly $800,000 purchase.

ter; DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization; and volunteer community organizers.

The afternoon begins at 12:30 to 1 p.m. with this year’s featured Human Book, Karen Gareis, a U.S. Navy veteran turned high school librarian who was recently featured in a 60 Minutes news story on education censorship. Following that featured conversation, all of the volunteer Human Books will be available throughout MacLean Hall to be checked out for 30-minute small group conversations from 1 to 4 p.m. Attendees (the “Readers”) may

choose to participate in a new conversation every half-hour throughout the afternoon. Advance registration is not required, nor are attendees required to stay for the whole afternoon. Check out just one Human Book, or six, or any number in between. Volunteer Librarians and student Bookmarks from DAYLO will be on hand to help guests navigate their Beaufort Human Library experience and answer questions.

This year’s Human Books include community members Xzorion Berry, Isabella Troy Brazoban, Cesar Clavijo, Ana Delvalle, Paulette Edwards, Catherine Forester, Ashley Gardner,

more about the Beaufort Human Library, please visit www.facebook.com/beauforthumanlibrary.

BUNNY BABIES!

The Easter Bunny made two special stops at the Beaufort Memorial Collins Birthing Center on Sunday to deliver these two little baskets of joy! Lainey Rayne Terwilliger of Beaufort arrived at 3:17 p.m., weighing in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces; and a few hours later, at 7:42 p.m., Alma Liliana Osorio Lemus of Ridgeland arrived, weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces. Both babies received festive Easter quilts from the Sea Island Quilters. Special thanks to the birthing center staffers Merrick Murdaugh, CST, who crocheted the blankets they are wrapped in; Donna Mixon, LPN, who crocheted the eggs; and Victoria Mayo, R.N., who created the adorable bunny hats. Photos courtesy of Charlotte Berkeley Photography

After her firing, a second S.C. Ethics Commission investigation into Loper was confirmed.

[their] due diligence

process” and

[the] hir-

had full faith in Loper’s ability to lead the Parks and Recreation Department. Loper was named as the interim director awaiting the resolution of the “outstanding issues in South Caroli-

The second complaint regarding Loper alleged that she hired her sons to referee youth sports and to run a cheerleading camp at some point during her tenure as the Parks and Recreation Director.

Loper’s hearing for the five counts of ethical violations pending against her is currently scheduled for Oct. 17 2024, at 9:30 a.m. in Columbia.

At the time, Loper’s disregard for procurement procedures were brought to light by The Island News, she was already the subject of a South Carolina Ethics Commission investigation, officially confirmed Aug. 2, 2023, into allegations she used Beaufort County Public Works property – a Bobcat type vehicle and possibly an excavator – to make improvements upon her personal property in Bluffton in 2021

The hearing is open to the public, and she is allowed to be represented by counsel and can call and examine witnesses in addition to introduce exhibits. She also has the right to cross-examine opposing witnesses.

Attempts to reach Loper before press time on Tuesday, April 2, were unsuccessful.

Police Department’s mental health advocate will train and embed with officers

From staff reports

The Beaufort Police Department has announced that it has partnered with Coastal Empire Community Mental Health to hire a mental health advocate who will train officers to better work with people in the community facing a mental health crisis, and will team up with police officers to respond to those in crisis.

The advocate, Paul Watkins, will at times be embedded with officers on calls, and will be available to offer help and resources to someone in crisis.

“Through training and guidance, he'll equip our officers with the tools and insights necessary to address mental health issues effectively and empathetically, fostering a stronger

connection between our department and the community we serve,” Interim Chief Stephenie Price said in a news release.

Watkins has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master of Science in Professional Counseling, both from Grand Canyon University, and more than two years of counseling experience. He is a clinician with the Coastal Empire Community Mental Health Center, and is on contract to the Police Department.

Watkins’ role will include: Riding along on calls with officers to provide a mental health perspective and advocacy role in the field when they are responding to mental health crisis and calls or cases that involve mental health.

Follow-up with families after major crimes to offer help and services through the clinic. Provide training and information to officers and the department acting as the liaison between DMH/Coastal Empire Community Mental Health and the department. Provide debriefing to officers and mental health services to them as they need and request. “Paul's role goes beyond mere support; he will serve as a crucial bridge between our officers and individuals experiencing mental health crises,” Price said. “His presence will ensure a seamless collaboration between law enforcement and mental health resources, ultimate-

ly enhancing the effectiveness and empathy of our response to such situations.

“This service ensures that mental health resources are readily available to our community both preemptively and throughout the treatment process, starting before a crisis event occurs,” Price added. “A significant portion of individuals experiencing mental health crises cannot afford to wait for an appointment, are unsure about how and when to seek help, and often feel marginalized. Our mental health advocate aims to provide services promptly and conveniently, working alongside law enforcement to identify individuals in crisis and those who could benefit from clinician support.”

City Council’s Glover hosting community meeting

Beaufort County Council Member York Glover (District 3) is hosting a community meeting Thursday, April 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at Beaufort County Library St. Helena Branch, 6355 Jonathan Francis Drive.

Guest speakers and topics will include: Interim County Administrator John Robinson will share an update on the Russ Point Boat Landing Assistant County Administrator of Information Technology Patrick Hill will update residents on expanding broadband access through provider Comcast in the St. Helena area. The meeting is open to the public and registration is not required. For questions and more information, please email Council Member Glover at yglover@bcgov.net or call 843-812-2909

April 5 is First Friday

Beaufort’s next First Friday, hosted by the Downtown Beaufort Merchant's Association, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, April 5. It's "White Linen Night," where Bay Street will be closed with tables and chairs out for gathering with friends and family. There will be a classic car show by the Sun City Car Club of Hilton Head, music by Campfire Tyler, and magician Ed Ellis will be performing as well.

Eclipse viewing parties

There will be Eclipse Viewing Parties from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., at all Beaufort County Library Branches. All ages are welcome to come and view the eclipse at the library. Eclipse glasses will be available to program attendees beginning at 2:30 p.m. Glasses are in limited supply and are first-come, firstserved. Limit one per group.

April LIBPA Meeting

County Councilman David Bartholomew (District 2) will be the guest speaker when the Lady’s Island Business & Professional Association meets at 8 a.m., April 9, at the Beaufort Realtors’ Association Headquarters at 22 Kemmerlin Lane, Lady’s Island. The public is welcome to stop by for coffee and conversation concerning the community.

Let History Speak ceremony set for April 10

The Second Founding of America is hosting its second annual Let History Speak Celebration at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 10 at Technical College of the Lowcountry’s Auditorium at 921 Ribaut Road Beaufort.

Established in 2018, Second Founding of America (SFA) is a non-profit educational foundation that is committed to supporting the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and uncovering the untold stories of our nation's history. The Let History Speak Celebration is an evening dedicated to recognizing projects that serve our mission and individuals that stood out in our com-

munity in 2023

SFA will be honoring the Explorers of Untold History Scholarship recipient, community service representatives, and its Pioneer of the Year, Elijah Washington.

Admission is free but seats are limited –there are just 200 total. Reserve tickets at https://bit.ly/3VL58f6

Beaufort County holding election education forums

The Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections is hosting five community forums to educate and inform the public on the upcoming election season.

Topics will include what's on the ballot, voter registration – how to register, confirming voting status, deadlines to register, polling locations including new voting sites, and how to become a poll worker.

The forum schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, April 10, 6 to 8 p.m., Frissell Hall, Penn Center, 16 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island

Wednesday, April 17 6 to 8 p.m., Port Royal Town Hall, 700 Paris Avenue, Port Royal

Thursday, April 25 6 to 8 p.m., Hilton Head Branch Library, 11 Beach City Road, Hilton Head Island

Tuesday, May 7 6 to 8 p.m., Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, 367 Keans Neck Road, Seabrook

The forums are free and open to the public. No rsvp is required.

For more information visit Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration or call Jean Felix, Training and Outreach Coordinator at 843-255-6900

Sportfishing and Diving Club meeting

April 11

The Beaufort Sportfishing and Diving Club’s April meeting will be held Thursday, April 11, 2024 at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club located on Lady’s Island off of Meridian Road. The social begins at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting will start at 7 p.m.

The topic will be Cobia. Local Captain Tommy Buskirk and Captain Scott Willard of Sea Island Adventures Fishing Charters (@Seaislandadventures, www.seaislandadventure.com) will discuss inshore and offshore Cobia fishing. This will include baits of choice, techniques, anchoring, rods-reelslines – bottom and top rigs.

Guests are welcome. Reservations are not needed. For additional information, contact Captain Frank Gibson at 843-522-2122 or email fgibson@islc.net.

Beaufort TEA Party meeting

April 15

Two Lowcountry candidates for office will be the guests at the next meeting of the Beaufort TEA Party set for Monday, April 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at AMVETS Post 70 at 1831 Ribaut Road in Port Royal.

The guests are Republican Shelley Gay Yuhas (https://www.voteshelley.org/), a candidate for S.C. House District 121, a seat currently held by Democrat Michael Rivers; and Republican Catherine Templeton (https://

templetonforcongress.com/), a candidate for the 1st Congressional District seat currently held by Republican Nancy Mace. Candidates will have a brief introduction, with a question and answer session to follow. Visit the meeting’s Facebook event page at https://bit.ly/4agiYKx for more information.

City of Beaufort taking a survey

Take a quick survey to share your insights about downtown Beaufort Beaufort is looking for ideas on how to make the city better. The City of Beaufort’s Downtown Operations Department has been working with a committee to explore ways to increase the vitality of downtown.

The team has created a survey asking residents and visitors a number of questions to get a better sense of how often they visit downtown, what activities they engage in when you are downtown, how convenient are shopping hours, and more.

Those who visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J7R8NB5 to fill out the survey will be automatically entered to win a prize.

Committee seeks feedback on stormwater manuals

The Southern Lowcountry Technical Sub Committee is seeking feedback on the jurisdictional Southern Lowcountry Stormwater Manuals. All stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments, suggestions and improvements.

Implementing jurisdictions are working on draft changes, and would like input on any additional proposed edits from residents, developers, engineers and other individuals with technical expertise.

Comments on all manuals will be received beginning Monday, April 1 through Friday, May 31. Comments may be submitted to wstormwater@bcgov.net.

For more information on current manuals, plans and studies, go to https://bit. ly/3PNgb3r.

For questions and more information, contact Beaufort County Stormwater Department at 843-255-2813

PSC to hold hearings abour Dominion’s rate hike request

The Public Service Commission has scheduled customer public hearings in Docket No. 2024-34-E, involving Dominion Energy’s application for authority to adjust and increase its retail electric rate schedules, tariffs, and terms and conditions. This filing includes a request for an increase to retail electric rates, and the Company’s application can be reviewed at https:// bit.ly/3xoFKSg.

The public hearing scheduled for Beaufort County will be held Monday, June 10 at 6 p.m., in the Bluffton Town Council Chambers at 20 Bridge Street. Customers who want to speak must pre-register.

In its application, Dominion proposes an increase of $18 86 or 14 21% for residential customers, an increase of $2,002 25 or 12 32% for commercial customers, and an increase of $57 486 40 or 12 68% for industrial customers.

More details can be found in the Notice of Filing and Public Hearings at https://bit. ly/3VHAa7i. For more information, please reach out to the Public Service Commission at contact@psc.sc.gov or at 803-896-5100

– Compiled from staff reports

Mental health advocate Paul Watkins poses with Beaufort’s Interim Police Chief Stephenie Price. Photo courtesy of Beaufort Police Department

Dataw Island turns 40

From staff reports

The nonprofit Pan-African Family Empowerment & Land Preservation Network (PAFEN) will offer an eight-week series of free Property Tax Reduction Training classes beginning in April.

"This will be a bite-sized version of our Help Save Gullah Geechee Land Campaign’s Stand4Land and Taxpayer Empowerment Workshops, which have historically been full-day events held on Saturdays, with presentations being made by the Beaufort County Treasurer, Assessor, Auditor, and representatives from various non-profit organizations, as well as state and federal agencies that provide services and resources beneficial to struggling taxpayers," Theresa White, Founder & CEO of PAFEN, said in a news release.

The free property tax reduction classes will be held on Tuesdays, from noon to 8 p.m., April 9 through May 28. All classes are being held at the Communi-

ty Collaboration Center (CCC), 808 Sea Island Parkway on St. Helena Island. The CCC is operated by the Community Coalition Action Network of St. Helena Island (CCAN), which is collaborating with PAFEN to help prevent further loss of Gullah Geechee-owned property on SHI. No reservations are required to attend these multi-media classes, which will be taught by White, aided by previously recorded training videos, and official Beaufort County government literature and website resources.

"I tweaked our format to offer free classes on a workday, when county offices are open, and extended the hours until 8 p.m. to allow people to participate after work. Regardless of race, S.C. taxpayers are welcome to attend our classes, and collect information and literature for future use," White said in a news release. For more information, contact Theresa White at 843-592-6076, or info@panafricanfamilyempowermentnetwork.org.

Wrestling – for a good

By Mike McCombs The Island

News

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday … be there!

Sunday, April 7 is the day the Phoenix Wrestling Experience brings its Georgia-Carolina Brewery Road Trip to Shellring Ale Works in Port Royal. The Riverside Rumble, sponsored by The Joey’s Forge Experience, will provide entertainment for the whole family.

“It’s new. The company just started to tour the Southeast. And we’re their first stop,” Shellring Ale Works owner Nick Borreggine said. “It’s just something different.”

A part of the proceeds will benefit HELP of Beaufort.

“We're staying true to our commitment to community by ensuring that each show on our tour will benefit an area organization chosen by the host brewery,” according to the event’s Eventbrite tickets page.

Party from page A1

Then, later that evening, the community is invited to a special “Robert Smalls 185th Birthday Celebration” from 5 to 8 p.m. – the same time as First Friday – at the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce at 711 Bladen Street. "Robert Smalls, an enslaved African, was a dreamer who had the audacity to dream of freedom and then made that dream a reality for himself and others," said Anita Singleton-Prather, aka Aunt Pearlie Sue, who is hosting

“That's right – not only will you be treated to top-notch wrestling entertainment, but you'll also be supporting local causes and making a positive impact in your community. “

According to the group’s Facebook page, One of Sunday’s top matches will feature “Top Tier” Drew Adler taking on Marcos Menos “one on one.”

Doors open at 1:30 p.m., and the action begins at 3 p.m.

General admission tickets are just $10, while the Phoenix Experience tickets are $20. Phoenix Experience tickets come with front row access to the event, a premium poster and an exclusive meet and greet with the performers.

Tickets can be purchased at pweshellring.eventbrite.com and at the door on the day of the event.

Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.

the birthday celebration. “A true homegrown hero who deserves to be celebrated, he was not just concerned about ‘me and my four and no more.’” Smalls’ incredible journey –from slavery to the U.S. Congress – began on April 5 1839, when he was born in a cabin behind his owner’s house at 511 Prince Street in Beaufort. He became a Civil War hero when he and a crew of fellow slaves commandeered a Confederate supply vessel and sailed it to freedom in 1862 After serving as a Navy Captain in the Union Armed Forces for the rest of the war, Smalls returned home to Beaufort and helped

create a free and compulsory education system that would be available to all children in South Carolina. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, the State Senate, and eventually the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the district that includes Beaufort County for five terms. Smalls died in 1915 and is buried outside the Tabernacle Baptist Church on Craven Street. The birthday celebration, which is free and open to the public, will feature local musical entertainment, including a performance by the Robert Smalls Leadership Academy Chorus, as well as

complimentary birthday cake and games for the family. “We’re going to be doing Robert Smalls trivia, too,” said Singleton-Prather. “So study up on your history before you come.”

In addition, several Gullah food trucks will be on-site, offering food for purchase. The evening’s special guests include Michael B. Moore, Smalls’ great-great-grandson, and a current candidate for the same seat his ancestor held in the U.S. Congress. Moore, who as a 13-yearold, unveiled the bust of Smalls that is prominently displayed adjacent to his burial site on Craven Street, has studied and lectured about his great-great-grandfather’s

place in history. “Robert Smalls could have rested on his notoriety and lived comfortably in freedom up North, but he returned to fight for freedom for all who were still enslaved in the South, then went on to serve this country for the rest of his life,” said Singleton-Prather. “We’re inviting the entire community to join us for fun, food, and festivities as we honor the legacy of our ‘Gullah Statesman’ and the deep impact he had on our community, our state, and our country.” For more information, or to RSVP, visit the Beaufort County Black Chamber’s website at BCBCC.org/events.

The Dataw Historic Foundation hosted a panel discussion titled "Tides of Time" in March. Navigating 40 years of Dataw Island, panelists from the 1980s and 1990s, including former Alcoa (original developer) employees, shared their stories. Special guests Larry Rowland and Edie Rodgers were guest speakers, as well. The event drew more than 350 attendees. Photo courtesy of Rosemary Patterson

By Mike McCombs The Island News

After last year’s surprisingly cold weather for the Lowcountry Jaycees Food Truck Festival, it looks like this year may be better.

“We are excited to see a sunny forecast for this Saturday,” Jaycee Jennifer Argetsinger said.

This year’s Lowcountry Jaycees Food Truck Festival will dominate Port Royal’s Paris Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., this Saturday, April 6

As usual, the event is open to the public with free admission.

It’s been a few years since the Lowcountry Jaycees Food Truck Festival was held two years in a row. COVID-19 scratched the event in 2020, and the threat of a hurricane canceled it in 2022

Get your grub on

Lowcounty Jaycees Food Truck Festival returns to Port Royal

The sixth annual Beaufort Food Truck Festival is set for Saturday on Paris Avenue in Port Royal. Proceeds of this event will benefit Jaycee Camp Hope, a statewide residential camp for individuals with disabilities aged 7 and older. File photo by Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Food trucks – 14 of them – will be on site, providing a variety of options. The fare ranges from desserts and ice cream to Polish, American and Filipino to wings, barbecue, hot dogs, soul food and seafood. In addition to beer,

there will also be water and soft drinks.

There will be live music and entertainment by local

and DJ Ali

The Food Truck Festival is the signature event of the

Jaycees. Most of the proceeds will benefit Jaycee Camp Hope, a statewide residential camp for

individuals with intellectual disabilities aged 7 and older. Camp Hope, established in 1969, strives to give campers healthy experiences outdoors through four summer sessions. Benefits include exercise, outdoor activities, personal growth, and social development with peers and caring adults.

The Jaycees will use the remaining proceeds for local community causes.

The Lowcountry Jaycees, also known as the Junior Chamber of Commerce, are the premiere leadership training and community service organization for men and women between the ages of 21 and 40. They promote leadership training and self-improvement by providing service and support for our community.

Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.

Harbor

from page A1

view of the water that is so important to many who live in the city, but it will change the charm and feel that makes the city of Beaufort special.

“These views that we have are something that we cannot buy. Other communities would love to have it,” Councilman Neil Lipsitz said. He continued to say that he wants people to see the water of the Beaufort River, not just boats at the Downtown Marina.

“This time, I can’t say no,” Lipsitz said about the proposal. “I say hell no.”

Lipsitz said that Beaufort already has a shortage of parking spaces, so doubling the number of boat slips is going to compound what is already an issue for parking in downtown.

“That will put more than a crunch on our parking,” Lipsitz said.

Council member Josh Scallate agreed with Lipsitz about obstructing the views and the parking, but also stated that signing the lease was irresponsible on both sides considering the city has promised to provide parking spots for each of the slips not knowing how many slips were going to be requested and given the issues that the downtown area has historically had with parking. Scallate also cautioned Safe Harbor regarding their relationship with the Town of Port Royal and encouraged them to mend the

LEGAL NOTICES

Blueprint of the current Downtown Marina in downtown Beaufort. Courtesy of Safe Harbor Marinas

Blueprint of the proposed expansion for the Downtown Marina in downtown Beaufort. Courtesy of Safe Harbor Marinas

musician Campfire Tyler

Rae.

Lowcountry

SC offers assistance to Maryland following bridge collapse

By Abraham Kenmore SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — South Carolina is standing by to assist Maryland, if necessary, after the collapse early Tuesday, March 26 of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which plunged several construction workers and vehicles into the water.

“It is a tragic situation, and we would urge everybody to pray and keep them in your prayers and thoughts,” Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters. “We’re in full gear to help (Maryland) as much as we can.”

The Scott Key bridge collapsed in seconds after being struck by a container ship pulling out of the harbor about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Two people were rescued, and six remained missing Tuesday afternoon.

As a U.S. East Coast port, S.C. Ports and the entire maritime community stand ready to assist any ocean carrier customers and importers and exporters in this time of tragedy.”

South Carolina’s directors of emergency management and transportation contacted their Maryland counterparts to offer assistance, McMaster said, adding he personally left a message with the office of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. The bridge fell across the harbor entrance. While the wreckage is cleared, other East Coast ports could get busier, he said.

That could include Charleston, he said, though other ports are closer.

“I would expect some more ships in the harbor and that will mean more traffic on the road to unload and to load and leave,” McMaster said. If that happens, he added, “have patience and realize the reason is the tragic situation in Maryland.”

SC Ports Authority CEO Barbara Melvin stressed

that they’re ready to help.

“As a U.S. East Coast port, S.C. Ports and the entire maritime community stand ready to assist any ocean

2 Republicans, 2 Democrats will try to unseat Mace in 1st District

Duncan’s departure makes the 3rd District race the most crowded

By Abraham Kenmore SCDailyGazette.com

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace will face two Republican challengers for her coastal 1st District seat in June, but her former chief of staff will not be among them.

Daniel Hanlon, a longtime Mace staffer, was fired late last year, allegedly taking his office popcorn maker with him as he went. Then in January, he filed with the Federal Election Commission to challenge his former boss.

But when state filing ended Monday for candidates to get on ballots, Hanlon was not among those running for the seat — or any other in South Carolina.

Republicans challenging Mace are Catherine Templeton, a former director of two state agencies, and Bill Young, a Marine veteran and nonprofit executive. On the Democratic side, two candidates registered to run: Michael Moore and Mac Deford, both of Mount Pleasant.

In 2010, then-Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Templeton to lead South Carolina’s professional licensing agency. Then in 2012, the governing board of the Department of Health and Environmental Control — all Haley appointees — chose Templeton to lead that larger agency. She resigned in January 2015

In 2018, she finished third in a five-way GOP primary for governor, won by Gov. Henry McMaster.

Templeton, of Mount Pleasant, is running as a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, but she doesn’t have his endorsement.

That went to Mace in March, after she endorsed Trump over Haley in South Carolina’s presidential primary in February. Following Trump’s endorsement, Mace called on Templeton to drop out. In response, Templeton’s campaign said voters should make the choice.

But the relationship between Mace and Trump has not always been smooth. In 2022, Haley endorsed Mace against a Trumpbacked rival after the congresswoman irked the former president by voting to impeach him. It’s also not clear how much Trump’s endorsement helps or hurts in the 1st District. Not only did Mace defeat Trump’s candidate two years ago, but her district was also the only one in South Carolina where a majority of voters choose Haley over Trump for president.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) makes a point during her sunset town hall meeting Thursday, Feb. 22, at ShellRing Ale Works in Port Royal. File/Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Unlike Mace and Templeton, Young is a self-confessed newcomer to politics. He serves as the state director for the Veteran Golfers Association.

As for the Democrats, Moore is a businessman and former CEO of the International African American Museum. He is also the greatgreat grandson of Beaufort’s Robert Smalls, a Civil War hero, Reconstruction-era state legislator and five-term congressman.

A first-time congressional candidate, Moore picked up several endorsements already from local elected officials including former Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. Deford is a Coast Guard veteran and attorney who most recently served as general counsel for the town of Hilton Head Island. He also has picked up several endorsements from local city councilmen.

Ben Frasier, a perennial candidate who has run for the seat many times, filed to run but then withdrew on a handwritten note dated March 28

The 1st Congressional District centers on Charleston and runs along the state’s southern coast. It is at the center of a lawsuit pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, which accuses state lawmakers of racially gerrymandering the district to keep a Republican in office.

Last Thursday, the same panel of federal judges who last year ruled the voting lines unconstitutionally discriminate agreed to let 2024 elections proceed on schedule

with the challenged lines while the nation’s high court deliberates the appeal.

This will be the second election under the challenged lines redrawn in 2021. Mace first won the seat in 2020, when she narrowly beat oneterm Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham, flipping the seat back to red. After redistricting, Mace easily beat her Democratic opponent in 2022

As of the end of last year, Mace had raised $1 5 million while Moore had raised $460,000 and Deford had raised $151,000. Financial information for the other candidates is not yet available, although Templeton touted in a release raising $500,000 through Monday.

Of South Carolina’s seven House seats, the 1st District is the only one considered even possible for a flip by the Cook Political Report, a non-partisan political analysis publication. It’s labeled “likely Republican,” which means it’s not considered competitive at this point but has “the potential to become engaged.”

The 3rd District

The retirement of Rep. Jeff Duncan after eight terms is opening up a lively race with 11 candidates, including eight Republicans.

The most prominent names in the race are Kevin Bishop, the recently retired communication director for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham; state Rep. Stewart Jones, a founding member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus; Sheri Biggs, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Na-

tional Guard; and Mark Burns, a pastor who gained national attention for his support of Trump.

Other candidates include businessman Franky Franco, Navy veteran Phil Healy, businessman Michael LaPierre, and Elspeth Snow Murday.

Two Democrats have also filed to run: Bryon Best and Frances Guldner.

The district covers 11 counties along South Carolina’s northern border with Georgia, from Edgefield to Oconee counties and east to Newberry County.

The 6th District

South Carolina’s only Democrat in Congress, Jim Clyburn, is running for a 17th term, a race he is expected to win easily. He will face no Democratic challengers in the primary.

Still, five other candidates have filed against him, including attorney Duke Buckner and welder Justin Scott, who will be competing for the Republican nomination.

Three other candidates have filed to run as third-party candidates.

The district runs from Columbia to Charleston and from the state’s western boundary with Georgia to the Pee Dee.

The Supreme Court ruling on redistricting in the 1st Congressional District could impact the boundaries of the 6th District, but for this term it will keep its current borders.

The 4th District

U.S. Rep. William Timmons, first elected in 2018, is facing a prima-

to

about a

ry challenge from state House Rep. Adam Morgan, chairman of the chamber’s Freedom Caucus.

Timmons has also been endorsed by Trump, repeating an endorsement he won two years ago. Like Mace, he called on his primary opponent to drop out following the latest endorsement.

Kathryn Harvey, chair of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party, is the lone Democrat to file for South Carolina’s most compact district, covering most of just two counties: Greenville and Spartanburg.

Two other candidates have filed to run on the Constitution Party line.

The 2nd District U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, first elected in 2001, faces a challenge from another Republican in Lexington County, Hamp Redmond of Swansea.

Two Democratic candidates, David Robinson II and Daniel Shrief, have also filed to run for the seat.

The 2nd Congressional stretches from Aiken and Barnwell counties at the Georgia border to northern Richland County.

The 7th District U.S. Rep. Russell Fry is running for a second term after unseating incumbent Tom Rice in the primary in 2022 and winning the seat.

Two Democrats, Mal Hyman and Daryl Scott, have registered to run against him.

The 7th Congressional District is anchored in fast-growing Horry County and extends south through Georgetown County and north through the Pee Dee to Chesterfield County.

The 5th District U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who has served in Congress since 2017, is running without primary opposition. The Rock Hill Republican will face Democrat Evangeline Hundley in November. The 5th Congressional District stretches from outside Sumter north to the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, and west to Union County.

Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.

The S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

Nancy Mace

House OKs bill approving natural gas plant despite concerns

By Jessica Holdman SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — Legislation that proponents say will provide much-needed electricity to keep the lights on for South Carolina’s growing population and industry base received approval Wednesday, March 27, in the House despite concerns that it rolls back protections for billpayers.

The proposal’s primary purpose was to grant permission for Dominion Energy and state-owned utility company Santee Cooper to partner on a possible 2,000-megawatt natural gas plant on the site of a former coalfired power plant along the Edisto River in Colleton County.

But in the process, the legislation introduces sweeping regulatory changes that have drawn significant criticism from environmental and consumer groups.

The House easily advanced the measure introduced last month by Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter. The 88-21 vote was not entirely on party lines, as nine Democrats voted for it. No Republican voted against it.

“The confluence of population and economic growth with the failure to bring new baseload generation online has brought us to a pivotal moment in this state. We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the crisis of our energy infrastructure,” said Rep. Jay West, R-Belton, who shepherded the bill through the legislative process.

Opponents note those are the same arguments utilities made when they asked lawmakers to pass legislation 17 years ago paving the way for new nuclear reactors. Santee Cooper and Dominion’s predecessor, South Carolina Electric & Gas, ultimately abandoned the V.C. Summer expansion amid rampant fraud and cost overruns, but not before leaving power customers on the hook for billions of dollars to pay for a failed power plant that never generated a single megawatt.

Groups including the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Conservation Voters of South Carolina argue that, like the 2007 measure, legislative support for the gas plant expressed in this new bill “signals” utility regulators to push the project through.

Supporters insist that is not the case and that the utilities will be subject to the full scrutiny of regulators.

“How do we know that this plant is in the customer’s interest? We don’t. And we’re not saying that it is,” West said in a speech on the House floor. “We are allowing the process to work as it should.”

West went on to accuse environmental groups of using “scare tactics” to drum up opposition.

“I’ve heard it’s a wink and a nod to (utility regulators),” West said. “The truth is the enviros lost … and now they’re trying to hold our state’s energy security hostage.”

But it’s not just a power plant, said Frank Holleman, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. It’s massive pipelines and power lines, too.

The legislation speeds up the permitting process for this type of infrastructure when it falls within so-called “energy corridors” where a utility has an existing transmission line, substation, switchyard, natural gas pipeline and associated structures. But the bill does not define the expanse of what it considers a corridor or whether it extends beyond existing easements the utilities already

control, necessitating they gobble up more land.

In Canadys, a small natural gas pipeline runs to the area, but utilities will need a much larger one, hooking up to existing supply points near Savannah or Augusta, Georgia, to feed a power plant. Interstate pipelines can be 2 to 3 feet in diameter and require a roughly 100-foot-wide path for construction.

Companies have yet to say where the new line will go. If it’s not in the same path as an existing line, the accelerated permitting process may not apply.

The bill also gives permission for Santee Cooper to buy up natural gas contracts on a new pipeline, “so we can get this gas in other areas of our state that are literally tapped out,” West said. Federal law requires pipeline projects to have buyers for all of the gas they will ship.

Having Santee Cooper take the initial risk and commit up front to buy the gas will allow new lines to go through. State economic development officials can then use that newly available gas to lure new industry to the state, West said, with Santee Cooper selling off those gas contracts to companies that need them.

The biggest sticking point for the measure in the House was its shrinking of the Public Service Commission, the state’s regulatory panel, from seven members to three.

West said the intent was to get “the best and most qualified candidates” and be able to pay them more.

House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, argued reducing the number of commissioners, who are currently chosen by congressional districts, means lawmakers and citizens will have less power over who sits on the board.

While the speaker-sponsored bill — cosigned by nearly 60 Republicans — sailed through the House, GOP leaders in the Senate have indicated it will get more review in the chamber that prides itself as the deliberative body.

“It deserves extra scrutiny,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey previously told The Associated Press.

House Sergeant at Arms Mitch Dorman, left, talks with Rep. Jay West, R-Belton, and Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, on the opening day of the 2024 legislative session at the Statehouse on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Columbia. Mary Ann Chastain/Special to the S.C. Daily Gazette

Bill to simplify taxes for SC boat owners opposed by counties

By Abraham Kenmore SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — Legislation that could reduce taxes for South Carolina’s boat owners while simplifying their bills has county officials concerned about losing revenue.

Currently, boat owners must separately title and pay taxes on their boat and any outboard motors. That means annually paying two property tax bills — sometimes three — for one boat.

The bill taken up last week by a Senate panel would cut some red tape: Outboard motors would no longer require their own title, or proof of ownership, through the state Department of Natural Resources. And the motors’ value would be combined with the boat for a single property tax bill. Plus, it could reduce owners’ taxes, depending on where they live.

Property taxes are collected by counties, not the state, to fund local services and schools. So, the bill would have little impact to state coffers. State fiscal expects expect DNR to lose $475,000 annually in titling fees and $343 000 in sales taxes.

Bipartisan sponsors of the legislation say it’s about clearing up confusion. Advocates contend it would also stop double-billing — though how often that happens is unknown.

“We’ve had a number of folks in the past that are just confused

by having to title and pay taxes on two parts of the same boat,” Sen. Sean Bennett, the bill’s chief sponsor, told the S.C. Daily Gazette.

The bill “makes it cleaner for the public,” said the Summerville Republican.

More than 368 300 boats are registered in South Carolina, while nearly 164,000 outboard motors are separately titled and taxed, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Broken down by county, the number of taxed motors ranges from almost 29 000 in Charleston County to just 66 in poor, rural Allendale.

Winners and losers County officials complain their coffers could lose out in two ways.

There would be no way of knowing when boat owners swap out an old motor for a new one, which would increase the boat’s value without raising the tax bill.

And some counties would no longer collect anything on that boat as the bill also shifts who collects the property taxes.

Boats would be taxed where they’re docked or stored, not where the owner lives. That could move collections to coastal counties such as Charleston and Beaufort and counties with large lakes, such as Lexington.

Boat owners could benefit from

that if they keep their boat in a county with a lower tax rate than where they live. Their combined tax bill could shrink, for example, if they live in a county with littleto-no industrial tax base but keep their boat in prosperous Charleston County.

Union County, which has no recreational lakes, would lose all of its boat tax revenue, Union County Auditor Brad Valentine told a Senate Finance subcommittee Tuesday.

According to state data, 709 outboard motors are taxed in Union County.

“It would not kill us. I’m not going to lie about it. It’s not bad. But the thing is, it’s still a loss,” Valentine said. “Every dollar we lose, it hurts.”

Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, a co-sponsor, said taxes for a boat should go to the local government responsible for providing fire, rescue and other services to that boat. The current situation causes confusion, he said.

“I had constituents who owned boats who were getting a bill in one county, thought they were supposed to get the bill from another county, and in fact in they did in separate years get bills in two counties,” the Orangeburg Democrat told the Gazette. “It’s only one boat.”

By Skylar Laird SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — On Saturday mornings, 30 or so children station themselves at Bang Back Pinball Lounge’s colorful machines to try and beat the highest scores or learn new tricks from the pros who work there.

Technically, what they’re doing is illegal.

Under a decades-old South Carolina law, anyone under the age of 18 is prohibited from playing pinball. A bill that advanced unanimously Tuesday to the House floor would change that.

“I don’t see the evil that is being taken care of by maintaining (pinball’s) illegality at this point,” said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, the bill’s main sponsor.

that we don’t tax,” Butler told the committee. “Then he received a bill for an outboard motor as well for $653.”

Though no one could say how often that happens, Bennett said he’s heard of enough cases to know it’s a problem.

Opponents at the meeting included representatives with the state Association of Counties.

The group has no objection to streamlining boat taxes, but it opposes the bill because any lost property tax revenue is difficult to recover, said deputy director Joshua Rhodes.

He wasn’t sure what percentage of counties’ property taxes comes from boats.

Boat owners and manufacturers testified in support of the bill Tuesday.

Chris Butler, chairman of the South Carolina Boating and Fishing Alliance, said owners are sometimes double billed by counties that send a tax bill for the boat that incorrectly includes the motor’s value and a separate bill on the motor.

He gave an example of one unnamed boat owner who got triple billed on the value of the boat, motor and trailer.

“He got taxed for the outboard motor on this original tax bill, and the value of a trailer was included

Orangeburg County, which borders Lake Marion on its eastern end, taxes about 6 800 outboard motors, state data shows.

“I would think it’s less than 5%. I mean it’s gotta be a pretty small number,” he said. But “5% is still a lot when you can’t make it up.”

Still, county officials are working on a potential compromise, he said.

“I think there is a way to get there,” Rhodes said. “I don’t know what that looks like.”

Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.

S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

The ban dates back to the invention of the game in the 1940s. When it was first introduced, pinball was more a game of chance than a game of skill. Players would release a ball, then jostle the machine to avoid knocking it into holes, said Frederick Richardson, owner of Bang Back Pinball Lounge in Columbia’s Five Points district. Store owners offered prizes to winners, which was enough for lawmakers in most states to classify the game as a form of gambling, Richardson added.

Plus, officials and parents worried children would waste their time and lunch money on the game, causing them to skip school and go hungry, Rutherford said.

Once manufacturers started adding the iconic flippers,

off which players bounce the ball, skill became part of the game. Starting in the 1970s, most states overturned their bans on the machines.

But in South Carolina, that never happened.

Pinball remains illegal for minors, alongside offenses such as running away, skipping school, “playing or loitering in a billiard room” and “gaining admission to a theater by false identification.”

So-called “status offenses” are crimes that don’t apply to adults, but they’re misdemeanors for minors that could theoretically send them to a juvenile detention facility.

However, it’s unclear when the pinball law was last enforced, if ever.

Rutherford said he doesn’t know of anyone actually charged for playing pinball at too young of an age.

The bill has the backing of law enforcement, said Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey, chaplain for the state Sheriffs’ Association.

“All of us are singing ‘Pin-

ball Wizard’ in our minds,” Dorsey told legislators, referencing the 1969 song by The Who.

Rutherford introduced a similar bill in 2022. It passed the House overwhelmingly but died in the Senate without a vote.

The fact that a law remains on the books hangs over business owners’ heads.

“I don’t like breaking the law,” Richardson said. “I don’t want anything to do with that.”

Richardson grew up playing pinball at the YMCA near his house in Minneapolis. When he was an adult, he rediscovered his love for it and began competing, even going on to win the South Carolina State Pinball Championship in 2022

Pinball is such a passion for him, he wants to bring that same joy into other people’s lives, he said. For children, Richardson says he sees pinball as something to do other than play on their phones.

People of all ages are allowed at Bang Back anytime,

but it’s particularly inviting for children on Saturdays, when the bar arcade transforms into a family-friendly space. The doors open earlier, the music skews for a younger generation and the TVs play cartoons, all in the effort of inviting children to come play.

Leagues like Columbia’s Little Flippers, a group of a dozen or so children between the ages of 4 and 12, join in. Removing the antiquated law would allow that fun to continue, Richardson said. “We’re enhancing their lives. We’re teaching them things they don’t get at school and don’t get at home,” Richardson said. “And the way their faces light up is absolutely amazing.”

Senators advance bill criminalizing misuse of ‘tranq’

By Abraham Kenmore SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — A bill making the non-veterinary use of an animal tranquilizer illegal advanced Tuesday, March 26, to the Senate floor. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to criminalize the off-label use of xylazine, often known as “tranq,” that can cause blackouts and lesions, potentially even death. It is not responsive to naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal treatment. “Xylazine is not a musical instrument. It’s a tranquilizer for big animals. Veterinarians use it,” Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, told the committee. “It’s very cheap. People are using it to cut other drugs, to make fentanyl and heroin and cocaine go further, so this will criminalize the use of xylazine as a drug.” Hutto said that veterinarians in South Carolina who use the drug

in their practice support the bill. A similar version passed the House unanimously in January.

The legislation would make unauthorized manufacturing or sale of xylazine a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. Possessing the drug without authorization would be a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 180 days, a fine of up $500, or both. Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville, said the penalties seemed harsh. They’re inconsistent with other drugs in its category, and the bill sets no mandatory minimums, he said. But he didn’t oppose the bill. Instead, he said he’d propose amendments during the floor debate to address his concerns.

South Carolina could join Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia in adding xylazine to its list of controlled substances.

In interviews with Stateline, public health experts and those working to reduce the harm of drugs on those who use them said that criminalizing xylazine would make it more difficult for drug users to seek treatment.

Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta

Federal court allows SC to keep 1st District voting lines for ’24

Gerrymandering lawsuit continues

By Jessica Holdman SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — Voting can proceed in South Carolina’s coastal 1st District this year under congressional maps redrawn in 2021 while the U.S. Supreme Court continues to weigh whether the Legislature racially gerrymandered the lines to keep a Republican in office.

The ruling came Thursday from the same panel of federal judges who last year put elections on hold. It follows lawyers for the GOP-controlled Legislature asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and allow elections to continue with candidate filing already underway and primaries set for June 11

The panel’s reluctant agreement negates the need for the high court to weigh in on the state’s March 16 request.

While preferring that “no further elections are conducted under an invalid plan,” wrote judges for the U.S. District Court in South Carolina, “with the primary election procedures rapidly approaching, the appeal before the Supreme Court still pending, and no remedial plan in place, the ideal must bend to the practical.”

The three federal judges — Richard Gergel, Mary Geiger Lewis and Toby Heytens — ruled in January 2023 that state lawmakers

drew the coastal 1st District, held by Republican Nancy Mace, in a way that discriminates against Black voters. The new lines swept in GOP strongholds in Beaufort and Berkeley counties while cutting out some Charleston suburbs and the entire downtown peninsula.

The judicial panel sided with the NAACP, ACLU of South Carolina and Taiwan Scott, a Black Hilton Head Island resident who lives in the 1st District, who sued after the Legislature approved new lines following the 2020 census.

The state appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and has been awaiting a final decision since October 2023 when oral arguments took place.

The lower court judges ordered the state not to hold elections in District 1 without their permission. In February 2023, they gave the state 30 days to submit a new map for review should the nation’s high court uphold the ruling. But there’s been no Supreme Court ruling to date.

Meanwhile, candidate filing for 2024 elections started March 16, South Carolina’s GOP and Democratic primaries are roughly 11 weeks away, and the state Election Commission needs time to get voter logs and ballots to county-level election boards. Election boards

must mail absentee ballots for members of the military by late April to comply with federal law.

Even if the high court ruled immediately, “there is simply no longer enough time to implement a new map before the start of mail-in voting,” the state’s lawyers wrote in follow-up filings Tuesday.

“The evidence of disruption and voter confusion is undeniable,” they continued. “Without a stay, candidates and voters cannot be sure which candidates and voters live in which district.”

Besides, they noted, if the U.S. Supreme Court sides with the state, there’s no need for a new map.

But the NAACP and ACLU contend keeping the lines for another election cycle rewards the Republican-controlled Legislature for doing nothing while awaiting justices’ final say.

“South Carolina’s failure to rectify its racially gerrymandered congressional map blatantly disregards our brave clients’ voices and the rights of Black voters,” Adriel Cepeda Derieux, deputy director for the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said in a statement. “By refusing to take meaningful action, the Legislature has undermined democracy and further entrenched voter suppression in the state. Rest assured; we will fight on.”

Allen Chaney, legal director for the ACLU of South Carolina, called legislators “shameless.

“It came to this exclusively because lawmakers sat on their hands and refused to take action,” he told the S.C. Daily Gazette. “I hope voters reject this gamesmanship that hurts voters and entrenches the power of lawmakers.

“They’ve gotten an extra election out of an unconstitutional redistricting map,” Chaney said. “That’s a harm that’s really difficult to undo.”

If the lower court’s decision is upheld, he said the ACLU will push for an early special election in 2025 using a newly drawn map.

South Carolina’s 1st District has long been reliable

Tips for Daily Prayer

for Republicans. However, following a population explosion on the coast, Democrat Joe Cunningham in 2018 flipped the seat to blue for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Two years later, Mace ousted him by 1 percentage point. Lawmakers redrew the lines ahead of the 2022 election and Mace easily won against Democrat Annie Andrews.

As of Thursday, 12 candidates have filed to run in the impacted districts:

Jessica Holdman writes about the economy, workforce and higher education. Before joining

• District 1, currently held by Mace, which includes voters in Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper counties. Three Republicans, including Mace, and three Democrats have filed so far. Neighboring District 6, held by Democrat Jim Clyburn since 1992 It stretches from the Charleston peninsula north to Columbia and from the state’s western boundary with Georgia to the Pee Dee. Clyburn has filed for re-election. Two Republicans have filed to challenge him, along with three minor-party candidates. Filing for June 11 primaries ends April 1

Listening for God God speaks in silence

Quiet prayer time allows us to hear God.

When two friends are together in a noisy place, it can be hard for each to hear what the other is saying. Once they move somewhere that is quiet, they finally hear each other clearly. In a similar way, God is always reaching out to us, but we can’t hear him because of all of the noise. When we set aside quiet time to be with God, we start to hear God more clearly.

God usually doesn’t speak in a booming voice. In your daily prayer time, you won’t normally hear a loud voice from heaven or see a miraculous sign. It is more likely that he will speak to you by gentle tugs on your mind and heart. It is like the experience of the prophet Elijah in the Old Testament: instead of revealing himself in a big, noisy manner, God spoke in a “still, small voice.”

(1 Kings 19:12)

In silence, God gives you new insights.

Perhaps you have been sharing with Jesus how a coworker has hurt you. As you sit quietly, lifting your mind and heart to the Lord, he brings to mind a forgotten experience from years earlier, when you hurt a friend in a similar way. You begin to feel more compassion and understanding toward the coworker.

In silence, you see how God is at work.

Perhaps you have been telling Jesus about a situation that is causing you a great deal of worry and anxiety. As you sit quietly, he helps you remember several other times in your life when you felt like you were in an impossible situation. Looking back, you see that he took care of you each time and opened unexpected doors. You experience deeper peace and calm, trusting that he will take care of you now, too.

In silence, God guides you.

Perhaps while quiet with Jesus, he brings the image of a friend to mind, seemingly out of nowhere. You haven’t spoken to the friend in quite a while, but you feel a tug at your heart that the Lord might be asking you to give her a call. When you call her after your prayer time, you discover that she was facing a very difficult decision and that she had been praying for someone to reach out to her!

Your friendship with God starts to deepen.

As we spend time each day in prayer, talking with the Lord and listening, our friendship with him starts to deepen. He becomes a friend: not just someone we have heard about, but someone we know. In our next message, we will explore how we can invite Jesus to speak to us through Scripture.

following the 2020 Census. The boundaries of the 1st and 6th congressional districts are disputed in a lawsuit alleging racial gerrymandering. Screenshot from the S.C. Senate redistricting site

Frequently reusing frying oil may ‘fry’ your brain

According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, Alzheimer’s now affects nearly 7 million adults aged 65 and older in the United States. Amid this rising neurodegenerative health crisis, a recent [animal] study has highlighted a potential link between long-term consumption of reused deepfried oil and increased neurodegeneration.

The study abstract was presented at Discover BMB 2024, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s annual meeting.

The new research suggests that reheated oil may increase neurodegeneration by disrupting the liver-gut-brain axis, which is crucial for maintaining physiological balance and has been linked to neurological disorders. Furthermore, this research suggests that regular consumption of reheated oils may disrupt liver function and increase oxidative stress, leading to a heightened risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Heated vs unheated cooking oils: Deep frying is a prevalent cooking method globally, often used in fast-food restau-

rants, street vendors, and home cooking. Studies have associated deep-fried food consumption with cardiometabolic conditions and certain cancers. However, few have examined the long-term effects of consuming reheated cooking oils on polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) metabolism and disease development.

How does reheating oils alter their chemical composition?

Heating oils to high temperatures significantly alters their natural chemical structure, reducing their beneficial antioxidants and

forming harmful compounds such as trans fats, acrylamide, and aldehydes. Reheating oils, especially for deep-frying, further exacerbates this process as the oil becomes increasingly unstable, losing health benefits and generating more toxins with each use.

Dietary approaches to protect against neurodegeneration:

• Consuming deep-fried oils has been linked to oxidative stress and inflammation, which are risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases and other chronic conditions.

• A new study suggests a potential connection between the long-term consumption of reheated cooking oils and increased neurodegeneration.

• The gut-brain-liver axis appears crucial in maintaining neurological health, and con-suming reheated oils may disrupt this balance.

• Experts recommend diets rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, cautioning against the frequent consumption of fried foods.

ing the brain. Additionally, the importance of probiotics from foods like kefir and kimchi are essential for gut and liver health.

repetitive cooking sessions and oils should not be heated to high temperatures.

To mitigate the harmful effects of reheated oil consumption, most beneficial are diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids and nutraceuticals like curcumin and vitamin E, which can be found in turmeric, almonds, and other foods.

Incorporating antioxidants, fiber, and polyphenols from fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts, and green tea can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, thus protect-

While more research is needed, reheated oils have been linked to increased levels of cholesterol and inflammation, which are risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. The liver, which filters and detoxifies substances in our bodies, may be particularly vulnerable to damage from reheated oils.

Following overall healthy dietary patterns like the Mediterranean or MIND diet may help prevent neurodegeneration.

Expert tips to improve cooking oil safety:

When cooking with oils, the research suggests the quality of oils before heat exposure matters. When choosing cooking oils consumers should choose oils high in polyunsaturated fats and choose preparation methods that require low heat. Oils should not be reused for

It is highly recommended rotating cooking oils and monitoring oil temperature in establishments that use deep frying to prevent overheating and excessive oxidation. To further avoid unhealthy oils, the experts suggested consumers ask about cooking oils used in restaurants and choose dishes prepared through healthier methods like grilling or baking.

Source: Excerpted and adapted from the article at https://www. medicalnewstoday.com/ articles/ frequently-reusing-frying-oil-mayaccelerate-brain-damage?

Spring cleaning for your mental health

Spring is here, and the change of season can provide that boost of motivation we need to tackle any cleaning we put off until our pollen season ended. Spring cleaning not only tidies up our space, but also benefits our mental health. A psychologist explains how simply cleaning out the closet can motivate you to tackle other tasks. We’re coming out of maybe a sense of hibernation, and when we can go through our living spaces and begin to reduce some of the clutter, it can feel like a new beginning,” explained Adam

Borland, PsyD, clinical psychologist with Cleveland Clinic. He continues, “Our environment has a big impact on our mental health.”

A nd spring cleaning allows us to regain a sense of control and accomplishment, which can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Simply cleaning out your closet can motivate you to take on other tasks or goals you’ve been putting off. But it can be easy to get overwhelmed. It’s important to start with a small task first.

“ If you need to clean your

kitchen but aren’t sure where to start, focus on one cabinet first –maybe even one shelf in the cabinet,” Dr. Borland said. “View that as your goal and see it through to completion. This helps to build momentum, and that’s where people begin to see the benefits of their efforts.”

D on’t be afraid to ask a friend or family member for help either. Asking for help and being able to receive it is a sign of strength.

Source: https://newsroom. clevelandclinic.org/ 2024 / 03 / 18 /springcleaning-for-your-mental-health

Why do we have nightmares?

If you’ve ever woken up in a panic from a nightmare, you’re not alone.

They can be pretty common.

But why exactly do these frightening dreams happen? “Stress, anxiety, whether that's due to things you have going on in your life that represent more of a stressor or a challenge, things like a move, a change in a job, or loss of a loved one, things like that, all of these kinds of unresolved problems that we experience during the day can definitely cross over into our nightmare activity,” explained Alaina Tiani, PhD, sleep psychologist for Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Tiani said nightmares could also be influenced by watching a scary movie, seeing something upsetting on the news or having a difficult conversation before bed.

Individuals who experience post-traumatic stress

disorder may experience nightmares as well.

Alcohol, caffeine, and side effects of certain medications can play a role too.

Dr. Tiani said while you can’t always control if you have a nightmare, there are some things you can do to potentially help. For example, focusing on stress management and being mindful of the content you’re consuming. “That’s true for probably both adults and kiddos that media exposure, the things that we might read or the videos we might watch,

just being mindful of the content because anything stressful or overwhelming could heighten the risk for a nightmare. Those themes or feelings could be present in our dreams,” said Dr. Tiani.

If your nightmares are frequent, recurrent and impact your quality of life, it’s best to consult with a medical provider or mental health professional. There are different treatment options available. Source:

your pet’s food and water bowls to prevent salmonella

Do you wash your pet's food and water bowls regularly? If not, you could be creating an environment that harbors salmonella, which can infect both you and your furry friend. While salmonella is a common cause of food poisoning, it also can be spread by animals and their environments.

Salmonella is a bacterial infection that can cause fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. It can be transmitted from contaminated food, such as raw meat or eggs. But what you may not know is that your pets—and the food they eat—could carry salmonella, which can make you and your family sick.

"Salmonella is a bacterial infection that people can get from touching contaminated food or through contaminated water, or perhaps from their pets and their food and their feces," explains Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician.

One of the best ways to keep yourself safe from salmonella infection is prevention.

"That requires us to wash your hands consistently. Be thoughtful about washing your pet bowls and be thoughtful about their food. Wash your hands after you handle certain animal environments—including their beds, sheets, that sort of thing," says Dr. Ardon.

Even if a dog does not show signs of salmonellosis, he can still spread the disease through feces or saliva, which can infect humans. The type of salmonella that affects dogs is more likely to affect humans as well, making it a zoonotic disease.

Although illness from salmonella is normally rare in dogs, the risk grows when pet parents choose raw and unprocessed meats as part of their dog’s diets.

In all species, diarrhea and illness from salmonella is often severe and can lead to dehydration, sepsis, and even death if left untreated. Pet parents should promptly take their dogs to a veterinarian

when diarrhea occurs with decreased appetite, lethargy, fever, and blood in the stool. Though it is rare, salmonella can travel to the lungs, causing pneumonia, or to the reproductive tract of breeding female dogs, leading to loss of pregnancy.

Recognize symptoms of salmonella infection in humans

It's the season of summer picnics and barbecues. Make sure your family gathering doesn't end up with a bout of food poisoning. More than 1 million Americans each year become sick with salmonella infection. Most people get sick from eating foods contaminated with salmonella bacteria including fresh produce, raw eggs, and uncooked meat.

Here’s what to watch for if you suspect someone might be sick with a salmonella infection:

Stomach cramping, diarrhea and fever are all common symptoms of salmonella infection.

Dr. Summer Allen, a Mayo Clinic family medicine explains, "An infection with salmonella for patients will often appear like a stomach bug or stomach flu-type symptoms."

Symptoms usually develop 12 to 72 hours after exposure to salmonella bacteria and usually last two to seven days. Most people don't require any treatment outside of fluids and some rest and making sure that they stay hydrated. Dehydration from persistent diarrhea is a common complication. Those at highest risk of severe illness are young children, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems.

"If someone feels they're dehydrated, severely unable to keep fluids down, and they need to seek medical attention or have a condition that compromises their im-

mune system, then they may need antibiotics,” says Dr. Allen.

You can’t tell if someone or something is infected with salmonella. The bacteria live in the intestinal tract. It can spread from animals to humans and person to person. Dr. Allen says good hand hygiene is one way to decrease your chance of infection.

"If people wash their hands thoroughly or, in some cases, at least use hand sanitizer, that’s going to be extremely helpful and protective to them."

Sources: Adapted from an article by DeeDee Stiepan at https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.

org/ discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-washyour-pets-food-and-water-bowls-toprevent-salmonella/; https://www.petmd. com/dog/conditions/digestive/salmonelladogs; Excerpted from an article By Deb Balzer at https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/ discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-recognizesymptoms-of-salmonella-infection/

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Oil and gas industry’s pipeline plans for SC questionable

Ten years ago, the oil and gas industry came after the South Carolina coast with an attempt to put oil rigs off our shores. This dangerous proposal threatened massive, economically devastating oil spills on our cherished beaches.

The American Petroleum Institute, working primarily through state legislators from other parts of the state, tried to cram this proposal down our throats through changes in state and federal law, and the coast fought back: Every coastal mayor opposed the proposal, working across party lines. Eventually the governor and even the president of the United States agreed to oppose offshore drilling.

signed up to speak.

The petroleum industry wants a new natural gas pipeline into South Carolina. Some legislators approve of the pipeline without any definitive documentation of exactly where it will go, what it will cost, or who will pay for it.

Recently, legislators whose constituents would not be affected by raised utility rates or new pipeline routing invited representatives of the institute and other industry backers to the front of the line in a legislative hearing — in front of 75 South Carolina citizens who had

The American Petroleum Institute is back again, threatening our land and water.

One thing we do know: Most of the cost of the pipeline will be put on your electric bill, because the pipeline will supply new power plants that will increase our dependence on fossil gas rather than renewable energy.

The message of the petroleum industry to us in the Lowcountry can be summarized as “We are going to build a pipeline and you are going to pay for it.”

And that’s not all the public

consumers will pay for. Because of the fluctuating cost of fossil gas, the cost of the power plant plus fuel could exceed the cost of clean energy alternatives by billions of dollars, causing electricity bills to skyrocket! South Carolina is not an oiland gas-producing state.

We are a beautiful, natural state with abundant sunshine. We care about the rivers and marshes this pipeline will cross. And we are once again at the point where citizens need to remind our state legislators that they work for us, not for the oil and gas industry.

In addition, those of us who are concerned about climate change and have already experienced the effects of a warming planet will appreciate the fact that methane, an 80 times more potent heat-trapping gas than carbon dioxide, is known to leak from pipelines and gas plants and release directly into our atmosphere.

Jimmy Carter isn’t around to help Africa this time

It is Tuesday, and I’m with my friend David Porter and his wife Hartley at Nonna’s Trattoria in St. Augustine, Fla. We’re sharing a Sangiovese and talking Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Lumumba and Jimmy Carter.

In 1992, David and I were part of a delegation that flew into Congo-Brazzaville to meet with then President Pascal Lissouba. At that moment the “Little Congo” — as distinguished from the “Big (formerly Belgian) Congo” — wanted to put some distance between itself and their former European master, France.

France has been in Africa since 1891 when Pierre de Brazza planted the French Tricolors at Malabo Pool. In 1960, Congo-Brazzaville and most of the other French colonies got independence; but almost every country agreed to stay connected to France in an arrangement that insured that France would have first dibs on their oil, iron, bauxite and uranium.

Renault, Elf-Aquitaine and Sofitel got the automobile, oil and hospitality concessions; the currency — Central African Franc — was tied to Paris.

The trade-off for these natural resources were French soldiers, usually based just outside the capital, who reinforced the local army. Importantly the French troopers also helped with internal security in Mali, Chad, Niger, Senegal, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville. But these newly independent nations came to this deal with other problems.

Much of Western Africa was without meaningful rainfall — the Sahara continues

its march southward into Senegal and Ivory Coast. Most of these countries were populated by tribes who didn’t like each other. There were persisting diseases like malaria and tuberculosis; and West Africa began the unfortunate practice of unhappy sergeants shooting their way into the Presidential Palace. Sergeants who remained in office until they themselves were dragged, feet first, from the Presidential bedroom.

This bloody succession practice was wide-spread because these former colonies had no notion of “separation of powers” — power remained concentrated in the President. And as long as the President paid his own troops — much like the latter day Caesars paying their Praetorian Guard — he remained secure.

This was the unstable empire that President Emmanuel Macron inherited in 2017 when he was elected President of France. However, the young Macron be-

lieved he could salvage what was left of Francophone Africa. The Wall Street Journal writes, “Macron, France’s first head of state born after the end of the colonial era, had started his presidency in 2017 with a pledge to reset his relationship with former African colonies. He riled up conservatives by declaring colonization a ‘crime against humanity.’”

Macon’s immediate nightmare were the jihadist terrorists who were killing and raping their way through Mali, Chad, Ivory Coast and more recently, Niger.

French troops had been thrown into this fray before 2017, but Macron added more teenagers to the mix bringing the total troop strength to 5,000. The United States also sent 1 000 American soldiers to Niger. Notwithstanding these efforts, the French became the whipping boy for this ongoing desert disaster and every other problem that be-devils Africa.

“Across much of francophone Africa, deriding the French has become the most powerful rallying cry with putschist regimes, opposition leaders and civil society activists blaming their former colonial power for years of underdevelopment and governmental mismanagement.”

I’ve been back to Africa four times since that first visit in 1992 and know that France was complicit — especially in Congo-Brazzaville — in keeping a friendly President in the palace as long as he kept the African crude flowing to Paris. And there is persisting criticism throughout the region that France didn’t do enough about disease, desertification and making sure the oil, bauxite and uranium money eventually trickled down to ordinary people.

But the unspoken, inconvenient question is whether Congo-Brazzaville, must accept some of the blame for the colonial co-depen-

dency that has lasted for more than 60 years. Should the long-suffering folks in West Africa have done something, something themselves, about the thugs and kleptocrats who shot their way into office?

Now the restless bear, Russia, is spreading conspiracy theories on Africa’s social media; there are rumors that the Chinese intend to build a naval base on Africa’s Atlantic coast; and Niger’s camo-clad generals are talking with Iran about diverting their uranium to Tehran.

This is the same kind of scenario that worried Washington when I was 16. The same kind of intrigue that surrounded the death of Patrice Lumumba in 1961 And Jimmy Carter, the only American President who consistently cared about Africa, is aged and ill.

Scott Graber is a lawyer, novelist, veteran columnist and longtime resident of Port Royal. He can be reached at cscottgraber@gmail.com.

Justice delayed in SC congressional map is justice denied

Abedrock principle of American-style jurisprudence is that justice delayed is justice denied. It’s the backbone of the right to a speedy trial to redress grievances, right wrongs and bolster the democratic process.

The concept holds that if one can’t get a decision in a timely manner, that’s the same as having no real decision at all. It’s found in the Magna Carta (1215) and centuries of English law and politics that followed. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote of it in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by noting “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”

Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court seems to have lost sight of this legal fundamental – too busy to be bothered, too busy with politics or too busy trying to slither out of its ethical issues. On March 28, because the high court had done nothing on a case impacting 30 000 Black South

ICarolinians, an appellate court said they would just have to wait.

At issue is Alexander v. S.C. NAACP, a redistricting case in which the S.C. State Conference of the NAACP and plaintiff Taiwan Scott argued the S.C. General Assembly’s December 2021 congressional map following the 2020 census was racially discriminatory.

A three-judge panel heard the case the following fall. In January 2023, it unanimously ruled the First Congressional District, which stretches from Charleston County to Beaufort County, was an illegal, racial gerrymandered district that disenfranchised 30 000 Black

voters. The judges gave time to the state to draw new lines so elections could be held with a new map.

But the state appealed, as was its right. In October 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments. Since then? Crickets. So with filing for the 2024 elections set to close April 1, a three-judge district court panel on March 28 essentially said things were moving too slowly and this year’s First District congressional election needed to take place under the current disputed lines. Which is wrong. And sad. And interesting, since the First District has been one of the most competitive districts in the country –and with the Republican Party having a razor-thin majority, the GOP establishment has a lot of interest in using the old map, not something new that might not favor the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. “It’s a ridiculous deci-

It’s a ridiculous decision to say, on one hand, that the maps were drawn for racial purposes and, on the other hand, to say we’re going to use them anyway.”

sion to say, on one hand, that the maps were drawn for racial purposes and, on the other hand, to say we’re going to use them anyway,” said the Rev. Joseph Darby of Charleston, a former top official with the state NAACP. “That’s as strangely American as things get.”

Allen Chaney, legal director for the ACLU of South Carolina, blasted state lawmakers for delaying action by appealing the case: “They manipulated the appellate process to wring out an extra election on unconstitutional maps. I hope voters are paying attention.”

Taiwan Scott, the individual plaintiff in the case,

said in a statement that the fight for justice would continue: “The people of our state and our country deserve more than suppression and discriminatory practices. What we deserve is the right to a fair process and an equal say.”

The awkward decision didn’t escape the notice of the two Democrats running to replace Mace.

Michael B. Moore, whose ancestor Robert Smalls was a five-term member of Congress during Reconstruction between 1874 and 1887, said, “Regardless of the congressional map, this race is all about connecting with folks in South Carolina's coastal communities — and offering them an honest, commonsense alternative to Nancy Mace's attention-seeking antics and political extremism.” His primary challenger, Mount Pleasant lawyer Mac Deford, said he was disheartened a decision hasn’t yet been made, but noted: “This is the only congressional district in South Carolina that rejected Donald Trump, and I’ve been fortunate to gain widespread support across political divides, even securing contributions from those who previously supported Nancy Mace.” If the Supreme Court can make emergency rulings for prisoners on death row, why can’t it set up a process to be quicker on issues related to a dying democratic process?

Are we on a Ship of Fools?

am sure that some of you will remember the 1965 Academy Award winning movie “Ship of Fools” with an all star cast including Vivian Leigh, Lee Marvin, Michael Dunn, Jose Ferrer, and Osker Werner.

The movie is set aboard a German passenger liner that leaves Veracruz Mexico bound for Bremerhaven Germany in 1933

On board is an eclectic microcosm of per-war society, dominated by a large group of enthusiastic German ex-patriots who are returning home to be a part of the rising “Third Reich” led by Adolf Hitler.

During the voyage the Jewish passengers are excluded from Captain's table and are treated with disdain by many of the German passengers. Upon arriving in Bremerhaven two of the Jewish passengers disembark discussing conditions in Nazi Germany. One warns the other that there could be trouble ahead. The other answers, “We are Germans first, and Jews second…. there are nearly a million

Jews in Germany, what are they going to do, kill us all?” The other replies, “You may be the biggest fool on the ship.” Then he looks at the film's audience and asks if they are thinking “What has any of this to do with us?” “Nothing” he declares with a sardonic smile and walks away. The end.

At the time when I first watched this movie I was a young man starting out on what turned out to be a wonderful new career. I was filled with hope for the future and an abiding love for the country that I was fortunate to be a part of. That I have never lost.

Knowing what happened in Germany and the rest of the world after the rise of Hitler, I couldn't help but be emotionally moved by the film, but I knew that America would never be led so far astray by any of its leaders, and that our system of checks and balances would prevent it from happening here. Looking back on it some 60 years later and seeing what is happening in America today, I sometimes wonder if I was right.

The 1960’s were a turbulent time in America and those of us who lived through it saw some dramatic changes take place. We saw assassinations, burning cities, civil unrest and for the first time a questioning of American values. As disturbing as it was at the time there is no question that some good came from it.

We elected a few very questionable leaders who made some very bad mistakes which led us into a long and costly war in Southeast Asia that lasted far into the next decade. In the 1970’s

we suffered through the Nixon Watergate scandal to be followed by President Gerald Ford, who to most peoples’ amazement turned out to be the right man at the right time. He was followed by what was arguably one of the most well meaning but inept Presidents in our history up until the present time.

However, as devious and bungling as some of these men were, I never doubted that they did what they did because they considered it to be in the best interests of the country. No doubt that you become a little more cynical with age, but I am not so sure that’s true today.

Looking at the situation in the country today I can’t help but think that we may be on a “Ship of Fools” captained by leaders who stumble from one mistake and crises to the next. People who think that trillions of dollars in deficit spending, feckless foreign policy around the world, offending allies, comforting enemies, promoting

hopeless dead end domestic spending projects, allowing open borders, ongoing inflation, and creating policies and programs that divide rather than unite the nation have the best interests of the country at heart. These people are not friends of constitutional government and the rule of law. It seems that they are doing everything that they can to tear it down and change it to something far different than most of us want. Worst of all we “Fools” who are on the ship keep electing these people to captain the ship.. “What you ask, has this to do with any of us?” Everything!

Born, raised and educated in the Southwest, Jim Dickson served in the U.S. Navy Reserve in Vietnam before a 35-year business career. Retired to St. Helena Island, Dickson and his wife are fiscally conservative, socially moderate and active in Republican politics, though they may not always agree with Republicans. Having lived around the country and traveled around the world, Dickson believes that the United States truly is the land of opportunity.

ENTREES:

Chicken Piccata Shrimp Scampi Pasta

FIT: Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chicken Caprese Spaghetti Squash

SALAD: Mixed Berry Goat Cheese Fresco

Greek Steak Gyro Bowl 136

PIZZA: Pistachio Mortadella

SANDIWCH: Fried Pork Chop

ANDY BRACK

JIM DICKSON

Who cares about public notices?

You have the right to know what’s happening in your community.

Public notices – information local governments are obligated to provide citizens – are required to be published in local newspapers to provide a public record that’s accessible to everyone.

Public notices keep you informed about your government. But, in some states legislators are trying to keep public notices from appearing in local newspapers. This severely impacts government transparency and, in turn, limits the public’s right to hold them accountable for their actions.

Let your state legislators know that you value being able to access notices in your newspaper and that they are worth the investment.

Don’t bet against him

Pringle’s winding path leads from Seabrook to Final Four

The first time I became painfully aware of Nick Pringle was when I released the 2018-19 All-Lowco Basketball Team and relegated a burgeoning star to the honorable mention list.

To be fair, Pringle was the No. 3 scorer on that Whale Branch team, and although he flirted with averaging a double-double (9 4 ppg, 8 6 rpg), all 10 players picked ahead of him had the numbers to warrant their inclusion. Even after reviewing the stats from every angle, I felt good about

honorable mention player as a junior, but he was still a project in the early stages of development. To Pringle’s credit, he was never among those putting up a fight about his place on the list. He invited me to watch in person more during his senior season, then the Warriors compelled me to do so by putting together a season for the ages, going 21-7 and falling to powerhouse Gray Collegiate Academy in the Class 2A state

night in and night out. On paper, he was an

Private school athletes could compete for public schools under bill

Separate bill would overrule SC High School League on student transfers

would add private schools to that list, with limitations. The school can’t have more than 200 students in Grades 9 through 12. It can’t offer the sport the student’s interested in playing. And

it can’t be a member of the South Carolina High School League, an independent, dues-paying organization that sets and oversees the competition rules for participating middle and high schools.

Advocates for public schools don’t foresee a problem.

The constraints, coupled with the fact that public schools aren’t required to put the students on their teams, help explain why it advanced with little discussion.

“At the end of the day, all it does

say is they have the opportunity to try out,” Scott Price, director of the State School Boards Association, told the S.C. Daily Gazette.

But the bill could come into play more in the future, as students use state-paid scholarships to pay for private tuition under a law passed last year.

The program’s inaugural year provides 5 000 low-income students $6,000 each, with the first payments set to start in July.

The participation cap will rise to

15,000 in 2026. However, a proposal passed by the House last week could exponentially expand the program.

Under the bill advanced Wednesday, students who use the money to attend a small private school without a sports program would still be eligible to play on teams at the public school they’re zoned to attend. Ryan Bailey, lobbyist for the Association of School Administrators,

Former Whale Branch standout Nick Pringle cuts the net after No. 4 seed Alabama reached the program’s first Final Four by holding off No. 6 seed Clemson, 89-82, Saturday night, March 30, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Seabrook native turned in a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards.

Photo courtesy of University of Alabama Athletics

Jerome Singleton

Whale Branch boys split Marwin Kline title

Eagles finish sweep of Dolphins

LowcoSports.com

Host Whale Branch tied Hampton County for the boys title, and the Warriors finished second behind the Hurricanes in the girls standings Saturday at the Marwin Kline Invitational in Seabrook.

Whale Branch’s boys earned 111 points despite having just one individual champion — Bradford Thompson in the discus — compared with Hampton County’s three. The Warriors racked up secondand third-place finishes in the field events, though, to make up the ground.

Whale Branch’s Destiny Pryor (100m) and Talaijah Bartley (100m hurdles) each won individual gold, and the Warriors took the girls 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

Beaufort High’s soccer teams completed the season sweep of crosstown rival Battery Creek on Monday, blanking the Dolphins in a pair of Region 8-3A matchups. Beaufort’s Selena Duncan continued her outstanding junior season with two goals and three assists to lead the Eagles to a 6-0 rout in the girls game. Payton Mullen added two goals and an assist, and Gianna Pacheco and Charlotte Blair Scarpa each scored goals for Beaufort, which blanked the Dolphins in both regular-season meetings.

The Eagles also took the boys game with ease, winning by an identical 6-0 margin after beating Battery Creek 7-0 in the first region matchup. Both Beaufort teams face key region matchups against Hanahan on April 9

Sand Sharks claim Oldfield Classic crown

LowcoSports.com

The Oldfield Classic hardware stayed at home Tuesday, as the USCB men’s golf team carded an even-par 288 on its home course in the final round to close out a 10-shot win over NCAA Division I Drexel with three Sand Sharks finishing among the top 10 Freshman Englishman Ellis Bright closed with a 4-under-par 68 to finish at 8-under over 54 holes, winning the individual title by five shots over Truett-McCon-

Jarrett from page A1

championship game. Pringle was a dominant force throughout the season, averaging 15 2 points and 10 9 rebounds while sharing the spotlight with frontcourt mate Shaun Chisolm.

nell’s

A year after being snubbed from the second team, Pringle was our obvious LowcoSports Player of the Year, and he was headed to Wofford to continue his career and keep chasing his dream. His one season at Wofford was a struggle. After seeing significant time in the first two games of the season, including a double-double in 24 minutes against Carver, his playing time fell off a cliff and it was clear he needed a change of scenery.

Athletes from page A1 LowcoSports.com

and a distinct cowtown odor while passing through en route to the Rockies. There was nothing to do but grind, and Pringle put in the work, propelling himself to the top of the JUCO recruiting rankings with a steady stream of highlight-reel putbacks and thunderous dunks. Many of the doors that had been closed to a late bloomer from a tiny school in an impoverished corner of the Lowcountry were open for a physical specimen sharpened by grown men in the junior college ranks. He opted to join Nate Oats at Alabama.

Pringle got his head straight and rejoined the team after two games away, and he has been impactful, scoring in double figures in nine of 13 games since, including three double-doubles. The most recent, a 16-point, 11-rebound effort while taking on the challenging defensive assignment of handling Clemson star PJ Hall, was indicative of the potential that has blossomed into Pringle’s present self.

The change was stark. Pringle left Wofford for Dodge City Community College, a world away from home in a place best known for Wild West shootouts

Pringle had bet on himself and won. Big. It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows during Pringle’s tenure in Tuscaloosa. His playing time was spotty in his first season with the Crimson Tide, which was marred by an offcourt incident in which two teammates were connected to a fatal shooting, but the potential that was apparent to those who watched him dominate in high school continued to pop through when Pringle got his chance, and he had a career game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, racking up 19 points and

also didn’t have a problem with it. But he asked senators to give the same opportunity to public school students by allowing them to try out for private school teams.

Large private schools offer sports not available in most public schools that students might like to try, such as bowling, archery and sailing, Bailey said.

“This is a place where private and public schools should be able to work together for the benefit of

their students,” he said.

15 rebounds against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

But after starting the first six games this season, Pringle found himself in Oats’ doghouse at various times throughout the campaign, even earning two separate suspensions for the dreaded “conduct detrimental to the team.”

“He’s currently suspend-

Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Manning, said he supported that idea, but the panel didn’t formally take it up.

Transfer limits

A separate bill advanced Wednesday would overrule the High School League’s policy on student transfers.

Generally, students switching schools are not allowed to join any athletic teams for the following year. Exceptions include students whose families moved to a new district or middle schoolers who decide to go to a different high school than the one nearest

to them.

ed,” Oats said after announcing the second sit-down in January. “He’s got to decide whether he wants to be a part of this program or not with some of his decisions and how he conducts himself. Nothing bad off the court or anything like that, just in practice, in games, and we’ll see where it goes. We’ll meet when I get back.”

The idea is that the rule prevents students from transferring to a new school just to join a different sports team, giving one school an unfair advantage by recruiting the best players from across the state, Jerome Singleton, the league’s commissioner, told senators.

But the policy creates unintended consequences, said Emily Heatwole, a lobbyist for Gray Collegiate Academy in West Columbia. For example, students who transfer to a school with better academic opportunities can’t participate in sports for their first year there.

Watching him dominate on the big stage Saturday night, it might have seemed as if Nick Pringle was always destined for basketball greatness, and anything less would have been a disappointment, but Pringle’s story is so much more layered than that, and his path has been a precarious one.

The stunning tattoo that takes up the considerable real estate that is Pringle’s muscular upper-right arm bears the likeness of his late brother, Trey, who died after being tasered multiple times by Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies and placed in a chokehold by a firefighter following a call for a mental health episode in 2018

Before he was even out of

The bill would create transfer windows at the beginning of each school semester, allowing students to switch schools while remaining eligible to play on their new school’s athletic teams right away. They could transfer either in August or January, just not both in one year.

Senators didn’t want to create scenarios where students could flip-flop between schools, playing football at one during the fall season and baseball at another in the spring, for example.

Singleton said he could accept that compromise, but he’s still concerned about rising 12th grad-

high school, Nick Pringle started a free basketball camp for area youth and named it “Treys for Trey,” and just a few months after leading Whale Branch to the state title game, Pringle was participating and leading Black Lives Matter protests to honor his brother, who undoubtedly would have been cheering louder than anyone when the Crimson Tide punched their ticket to the Final Four for the first time and his little brother earned the coveted hardhat from Oats in the postgame celebration.

Or, maybe, without the fuel of his grief and the memory of his big brother, maybe, Pringle would have given up before he got to this point. Everything that has happened up to now has led to Pringle’s big opportunity this weekend in Phoenix, and anyone who has followed his path to the Final Four knows better than to bet against him.

Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and the founder of LowcoSports.com. He was the sports editor of the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette for 6½ years. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.

ers transferring to a new school their senior year. “I think that’s when it opens the door where there’s an opportunity for those, for lack of a better term, elite players to try to gather at one school to create a championship opportunity,” he said.

Skylar Laird covers

Beaufort’s Grant Schwerin, left, takes a shot on goal as Battery Creek’s Ashton Morgan pours on the pressure during the second half of their Region 8-3A soccer match Monday at Eagles Stadium. The Eagles went on to win, Bob Sofaly/The Island News

photo

The Sand Sharks men’s golf team takes a team shot after USC Beaufort won against Division I Drexel on Tuesday, March 19 2024. Submitted photo

Former Whale Branch standout Nick Pringle plays above the rim Thursday, March 28, in No. 4 seed Alabama’s 89-87 upset of top-seeded North Carolina to advance to the Elite Eight at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Pringle scored just two points in the game but grabbed nine rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists. Photo courtesy of University of Alabama Athletics

Nick Pringle

Chasing

District students honored as 2024 SC Junior Scholars

schools, have been honored for being named Junior Scholars by the South Carolina Department of Education.

The students and their parents were recognized at a Junior Scholars celebration sponsored by the Beaufort County School District.

“These students have shown phenomenal potential, as their selection as Junior Scholars demonstrates,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said in a news release. “I know they will work hard on achieving their potential, and it will be our educators’ joy to support them on this journey.”

The featured speaker was Ava Gerschutz, a Bluffton High School senior accepted to Purdue University who shared her experiences since being named a Junior Scholar in middle school, emphasizing that receiving college credit for her high school courses will assist in advancing her timeline to become a pilot.

“My hard work in school was very beneficial because now in college, instead of taking a lot of English or math classes, I will be able to take more aviation-related classes,” Gerschutz said.

“When you are thinking about what you might want to do for a career or in college, taking those advanced classes will really pay off.”

The Junior Scholars Program was developed by the South Carolina Department of Education to identify 8th Graders with exceptional academic talent and to develop strategies for inclusion into special programs that facilitate intellectual

growth, broaden individual interests, and promote scholastic achievement. The program includes a process for screening, identifying, and recognizing students with high scholastic achievement and intellectual ability. Eligible students include those whose PSAT/NMSQT scores are 550 or higher on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing portion or 530 or higher on the Mathematics portion.

Students who qualify as Junior Scholars receive an award of merit from the South Carolina Department of Education as well as information regarding summer academic experiences sponsored by South Carolina colleges and universities. They can use that special recognition to bolster their applications to colleges and universities.

This year’s BCSD Junior Scholars are:

Beaufort Middle School

Ivy Lin Bluffton Middle School

Amalia Banks, Kaley Claffy, Keri Claffy, Jensen Gooding, Jackson Gullett, Jordan Heaton, Ella Holloman, Grayson Jacob, Joshua Little, Luis Lopez Sanchez, Ryan Moisiade, Marina Onofrio, Harmony Phillips, Joaquin Porto-Manfru, Chelsea Salas, Grady Theiling, River Timmerman, Macy Wersler, Finlay Wrobel, Delaney Yanok.

H.E. McCracken Middle School

Leah Benbennick, Zachary Brosman, Cooper Bruggeman, Avalyn Colleran, Gracyn Corn, Landon Dunlap, Elijah Elam, Alexander Emsley, Kate Garofalo, Abagail Greenaway, Leah Hamilton, Abigail Heyward, Joseph

James, Kaplan Lafountain, Camden Masterson, Reece McCoy, Ashley McDonnell, Kim Nguyen, Braylon Oliphant, Vivian Romanelli, Parker Star, Scott Stevens, Emma Thomas, Vincent Vu, Ariel Houston, Layla Garcia.

Hilton Head Island

Middle School

Sunny-Lee Alsobrook, Rhys Arlett, Brianna Caballero-Delgado, Alexandra Compher, Emma Cooper, Benjamin Drake, Trent Howard, Isaac Jimenez-Morales, Johao Jimenez, Isaac Joseph, Nolan Kabala, Samuel Knowles, Natalie Miller, Caroline Monmonier, Madelyn Montag, Ana Maria Pulgarin Diaz

Isaac Roman, Danielle Ryan, Ariadna Santiago, Stella Simpson, Bethany Wardell, Kalin Wiszowaty, Elliott Witmer.

Lady’s Island Middle School

Kimberly Comerford, Santino Comunale, Ethan Draisen, Sarah Fillinger, Temperance Grubbs, Greyson Hemby, Alanna O'Quinn, Connor Sawejko, Kyla Smith.

River Ridge Academy

Acadia Bliman, Michael Briones, Ares Durrett, Mya Gomez-Zelaya, Gavin Goodrich, Cade Kepple, Reven Mancuso, Chiara McMorrow, Cole Peltz, MacKenzie Prat, Benjamin Schroeder.

Riverview Charter School

Maddox Adcox, Madison Bernhisel, Noah Clark, Paul Cosneau, Ella Hoogenboom, Kade Knapp, Tillman Kolb, David Musselman.

Robert Smalls

Leadership Academy

Laylaa Barrett, Isaac Mendez, Andrianna Schuler.

Culinary Institute of the South at TCL to host open house, live recipe contest

From staff reports

The Culinary Institute of the South at Technical College of the Lowcountry will host an open house and live recipe contest from 10 a.m. to noon on April 6, at the institute.

While the open house will be geared toward prospective students interested in attending the culinary school this summer and fall, the live event, cooking demonstrations and other activities are open to the general public.

“This is our way of showcasing not only the facility and our students but the industry too,” said Chef Francine Marz, Dean of the Culinary Institute of the South. “We want the community to come see all that our programs have to offer.”

Launched earlier this year, the “Tastes Like Home” recipe contest – sponsored by King Arthur Baking Company and the culinary institute – was open to area high school and current culinary institute students. Eight finalists were chosen to move forward and compete in the live event.

Finalists range from age 16 to 60 and recipes submitted include both sweet and savory dishes such as meat pies, dumplings, cakes and cookies. Contestants said they drew inspiration from holiday gatherings, family traditions, cultural heritage and more.

Judges for the contest will include bakers from King Arthur, America’s most trusted baking resource and bakers from area businesses and eateries. Winners, which will be announced at the end of the competition, will receive either a trip to King Arthur in Vermont or a scholarship to the Culinary Institute of the South.

In addition to the competition, faculty and staff with the culinary institute will give cooking demonstrations and tastings and representatives from King Arthur will be on hand giving presentations about the company.

Enrollment and financial aid information for the culinary institute as well as all of TCL’s more than 60 programs, along with tours of the facility, will be available for students.

Those interested in attending the event are encouraged to RSVP to www.tcl.edu/culinaryrsvp.

The Culinary Institute of the South is at 1 Venture Drive in Buckwalter Place, in Bluffton.

From staff reports More than 100 Beaufort County School District (BCSD) 8th Graders, including 21 from Northern Beaufort County

TCL to hold open house events in April

From staff reports

The Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) will hold two open house events this April in which students can register and enroll in person.

Those open house events will take place in:

Beaufort: 4 to 6 p.m.,

Thursday, April 11, Building 12, Beaufort Mather Campus, 921 Ribaut Road.

Bluffton: 4 to 6 p.m.,

Thursday, April 18, New River Campus, 100 Community College Drive.

The events mark the opening of the Summer and Fall 2024 registration period. Those interested in learning more about the college or TCL’s more than 60 career pathways and transfer programs are invited to attend.

TCL offers certificates, diplomas and associate degrees in pathways ranging from Arts, Building & Industrial, Business Management & Accounting, Culinary Arts & Hospitality, Health Sciences, Education & Professional Studies, Law & Criminal Justice and STEM.

In addition, TCL faculty and staff will be on hand and information on financial aid and scholarships also will be available. The open houses are free and open to the public.

For more information or to RSVP, visit www.tcl.edu/ wave.

TCL is the region’s primary provider of higher education and workforce training. The public, two-year, multi-campus community college serves approximately 5 000 students annually. TCL has campuses in Beaufort, Bluffton and Hampton and serves Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties.

Brigadier General encourages next generation of cyber warriors at JPII

From staff reports

On Tuesday, March 19

Brig. Gen. Will Wilburn of the U.S. Marine Corps, who serves as Deputy Commander of Marine Cyber Forces out of Fort Meade, Md., engaged with John Paul II Catholic School students eager to learn more about cyber security.

His mission? To inspire and educate the next generation of cyber warriors. Brigadier Gen. Wilburn visited the school while in the Lowcountry collaborating at the 3rd Annual South Coast Cyber Summit. “Some folks don’t want us to have the freedoms that we enjoy and our way of life,” Wilburn told the students. “We find ourselves in a new fight in cyber. It’s a cognitive fight. We have gone from wars that were fought with brawn and now they are fought with brain.”

He told the students his visit was not a recruitment pitch; it was a mission to enlighten, inform, and, above all, inspire young minds. Wilburn urged them to grasp the importance of cyber security in today's ever-evolving, fastpaced world.

“China is our greatest rival,” he said. “They are committed to challenging us economically, militarily, and in the information world. It is our job to protect all that we hold dear. To fight them in cyber, I need folks like you, and we need cyber security taught in schools like here at JPII.” In a mere four years' time,

Wilburn said the geopolitical tensions between Taiwan and China could come to a head.

“We need you onboard with us," he said. “You are digital natives who are comfortable using Artificial Intelligence. We are trying to build a world class team, and you will make us much better.”

He emphasized that curiosity brought him to cyber security and being on the cusp of what is the next big thing on the battlefield.

“Today, cyber, AI, machine learning, and quantum computing are the next big things. We must be concerned with deep fakes and disinformation, which we see already,” he said. “Be vigilant – use basic cyber hygiene, change your pass-

words. Be careful about what you click on. The adversary is very deceptive.”

Ben Villalobos, a JPII senior, asked if it was more advantageous to be on the offensive side in battle or on the defensive side.

“That is one of the smartest questions I have ever been asked. Did your teacher tell you to ask that?” Wilburn asked, smiling.

He then had Villalobos, acting as the U.S., stand on the fourth step of the bleachers while he, as the enemy, stood on the floor.

“Now, if I wanted to get past him to that back wall, who would have the advantage?” he asked the students. A few answered that in this scenario, Villalobos had the advantage due to his high ground. “Yes,” Wil-

burn said, “but we absolutely need to be on both.” Wilburn warned that we are not in a fair fight, and we need every man and woman in this contest.

“We are not falling behind – they are excelling. We were

being ethical by following the rules of our society. They close the gap using nefarious means. They steal our intellectual property. They are hungry just like we are. I appeal to your patriotism. We need smart people!”

SC House passes bill banning DEI in college hiring, firing, admission

By Abraham Kenmore SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — Republicans pushed a bill through the South Carolina House that prohibits public colleges from factoring applicants’ political stances into hiring, firing and admission decisions but does not ban their diversity programs. An 84-30 vote Wednesday evening on party lines came after Republicans defeated Democrats’ efforts to kill or alter the bill.

Democrats opposed the bill as stifling diversity, equity and inclusion programs that promote acceptance and help students of all races and backgrounds succeed. Republicans accused opponents of misrepresenting the bill, arguing it’s meant to foster differing viewpoints, as to not discriminate.

The proposal says publicly supported technical colleges and universities can’t ask for a declaration of support or disagreement “with any political ideology or movement, including a promise or statement regarding diversity, equity, inclusion or other associated political issues,” when deciding who to admit, hire or promote.

If someone voluntarily supplies such a statement, schools can’t use it in their decisions. The bill bars discriminating against students and employees based on their political views. It also requires colleges to annually report the total cost and number of administrative positions in their DEI programs, as well as any complaints alleging violations and how they were resolved. It directs the Commission

on Higher Education to collect the data and provide it to legislators every fall.

Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Hopkins, said his opposition comes from personal experience. He spoke about facing racism and trying to fit in as a Black student at the College of Charleston. “I want you to understand where my passion and my speaking is coming from,” said Johnson, who graduated in 2008 from the College of Charleston. According to the latest data, 78% of its students and 79% of its faculty are white.

By limiting DEI programs, Johnson said, other students like him would be less likely to succeed in South Carolina’s public colleges. “We’re going down a dangerous pathway here, where we’re limiting the number of Jermaine Johnsons that are coming out of the College of Charleston,” he said.

Republicans countered the bill is a way to prevent ideological discrimination and indoctrination at colleges. “We’re asking a question of what our tax dollars should be spent on, because what we spend our money on reflects our values,” said Rep. Adam Morgan, R-Taylors.

He summed up his position by repeatedly quoting, without naming him, Black historian and author Ibram X. Kendi, director of the Center for Antiracist Research at private Boston University, which raised more than $50 million after its founding in 2020 Kendi’s line from “How to be an

Antiracist” that Morgan repeated was, “The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.”

“Does that statement reflect South Carolina values?” asked Morgan, chairman of the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus.

“If you want to hold those personal viewpoints, that is absolutely your right,” he said. “Don’t use taxpayer dollars to enforce those beliefs on all of our students, on all of our faculty.”

The floor vote followed a failed Freedom Caucus effort last year to pull state funding from DEI programs at colleges.

The Republican majority repeatedly rejected their budget amendments, noting they struck money from the schools without necessarily touching the pro-

grams. They also argued the budget wasn’t the place for such a policy debate, but they promised debate on legislation later.

The bill approved Wednesday would not remove funding from DEI programs or prevent colleges from “certifying compliance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws” when applying for grants or submitting reports for accreditation. It also specifies that requiring students and faculty to follow antidiscrimination laws and disciplining those who don’t are not violations.

A perfunctory vote Thursday, March 28, sent the bill to the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain.

Ahead of Thursday’s vote, opponents who gathered outside the House chamber said they hope

the bill dies in the Senate. Opponents decrying the bill included members of the S.C. Legislative Black Caucus, representatives of the state branches of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and NAACP, and a University of South Carolina professor.

“We do not engage in viewpoint discrimination, as the bill alleges,” said Todd Shaw, an associate professor in USC’s political science department and African American Studies Program.

“And in no way do we try to indoctrinate students, for that would be a violation of the highest principles of free speech, academic freedom, and the scholarly inquiry and creative endeavors,” he said.

Rep. Ivory Thigpen, chairman of the Black Caucus, pointed to the one amendment Democrats were able to get through in their hours-long opposition, which requires the annual report to also include every instance a college prohibited a program believed to be in violation of the potential law. That would allow Democrats to gather information on the repercussions, he said.

“If it does see the light of day, we will have ammunition to come back, and to fight for another day,” said Thigpen, D-Columbia.

Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and

Brig. Gen. Will Wilburn spoke to John Paul II Catholic School students March 19 in an effort to inspire the next generation of cyber warriors. Submitted photo

Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Hopkins (right), talks with Rep. Wendell Jones, D-Greenville, in House chambers on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. Mary Ann Chastain/Special to the S.C.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

CALENDAR

9th annual Ole Fashioned Oyster Roast

11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 13

The Gullah Museum, Hilton Head Island. General admission ticket is $10 Ole Fashioned Oyster Roast is $50 There will be artisans, entertainment, and food vendors for non-seafood eaters. Please visit www.gullahmuseumhhi.org to purchase tickets and for more information. Tickets can also be purchased at the event. (Originally scheduled for March 9, this event was postponed due to threat of inclement weather.)

Karaoke with Melissa

8 p.m. to midnight, Tuesdays, Highway 21 Bar, 3436 Trask Pkwy, Beaufort. Enjoy food and drinks during Karaoke with Melissa.

Karaoke with Melissa

7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Wednesdays, Beaufort Moose Lodge, 350 Broad River Blvd, Beaufort. Enjoy food and drinks during Karaoke with Melissa.

Trivia with Tom – Fat Patties

7:30 p.m., Every Wednesday, Fat Patties, 831 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort. Free. Team trivia event, win house cash prizes! For more information, visit https://rb.gy/o9nhwe.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

9:30 p.m., Wednesdays, Rosie O’Grady’s, 2127 Boundary Street, Suite 2, Beaufort. Free. Enjoy karaoke with either Parker or Eric.

Trivia with Tom – Bricks On

Boundary

7 p.m., Every Thursday, Bricks on Boundary, 1422 Boundary St, Beaufort. Free. Team trivia event, win house cash and Beer Bucket prizes! For more information, visit https:// rb.gy/o9nhwe.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

7 p.m., Thursdays, Amvets Post 70 1831 Ribaut Road, Port Royal. Free. Public is welcome. Enjoy Karaoke. Dinner will be available.

Bluffton Night Bazaar — a Lowcountry Made Market

5 to 8 p.m., first Thursday of each month, Burnt Church Distillery, 120 Bluffton Road. A highly curated selection of accessories, clothing, home goods, custom gifts and more by local artists and makers.

TECHconnect

5:30 to 7:30 p.m., 3rd Thursday of each month, Beaufort Digital Corridor, 500 Carteret Street, Suite D, Beaufort. Free. The BDC's signature happy hour “meetup” networking event for tech professionals. Connect with like-minded people, fellow entrepreneurs, start-ups and VCs over local food and cold beverages. Call 843470-3506 or visit https://rb.gy/e7t2h for more information.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

9 p.m., Fridays, Highway 21 Bar, 3436 Trask Pkwy, Beaufort. Free. Enjoy Karaoke with Lt. Dan.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

9:30 p.m., Fridays, Rosie O’Grady’s, 2127 Boundary Street, Suite 2, Beaufort. Free. Enjoy Karaoke with Parker.

Karaoke with Melissa

7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Fridays, R Bar & Grill, 70 Pennington Dr, Bluffton. Enjoy food and drinks during Karaoke with Melissa.

Highway 21 Flea Market

9 a.m. to 4 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday, Highway 21 Drive-In. Sellers, vendors, handmade items, unique products and yard sale items. For information, email lowcountryfleamarket@gmail.com.

Port Royal Farmers Market

9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, year round, Naval Heritage Park, 1615 Ribaut Road, Port Royal. Rain or shine. You will find fresh, local, seasonal produce, shrimp, oysters, poultry, beef, pork, eggs, bread and cheese, as well as plants, ferns, camellias, azaleas, citrus trees and beautiful, fresh cut flower bouquets. There are prepared food vendors serving barbecue, dumplings, she crab soup, crab cakes, paella, coffee, baked goods, bagels and breakfast sandwiches. No pets allowed. For more information, visit http://www. portroyalfarmersmarket.com/, visit @ portroyalfarmersmarket on Facebook or call 843-295-0058

Slip and Splash Saturdays

10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturdays, Battery Creek Pool, 1 Blue Dolphin

Drive, Beaufort, and Bluffton Pool, 55 Pritchard Street, Bluffton. $5 per person. Stay busy for hours climbing on our inflatable challenge track.

Music Bingo with Mike – Bricks On Boundary

7 p.m., Every Saturday, Bricks on Boundary, 1422 Boundary St, Beaufort. Free. Play with a team or alone, win house cash! For more information, visit https://rb.gy/o9nhwe.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

7 p.m., Saturdays, The Beaufort Moose Lodge, 350 Broad River Blvd., Beaufort. Free. Enjoy karaoke with Lt. Dan. Come early at 6 p.m. for Steak Night.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

9:30 p.m., Saturdays, Rosie O’Grady’s, 2127 Boundary Street, Suite 2, Beaufort. Free. Enjoy karaoke with Eric.

Teddy Bear Picnic Read-Aloud

9 a.m. to noon, 1st Saturday each month, Port Royal Farmer’s Market, Corner of Ribaut Road & Pinckney Blvd, Port Royal. Free. DAYLO Students and other volunteers will read to young children, who are encouraged to bring their favorite stuffed animals.

Karaoke with Melissa

8 p.m. to 12 a.m., 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, Peaceful Henry’s Cigar Bar, 181 Bluffton Rd, Bluffton. Enjoy food and drinks during Karaoke with Melissa.

DANCE

The Beaufort Shag Club

6:30 to 9 p.m., Wednesdays, AmVets Club, 1831 Ribaut Road, Port Royal. Free lessons for members from 6 to 6:30 p.m. We also host a dance the second Saturday of each month from 7 to 10 p.m. Lessons will run September through May only. Visit our FaceBook page (beaufortshagclub) for current events.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Rooted Beaufort Yoga classes

5:30 to 6:45 p.m., Thursdays, Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal; 9 to 10:15 a.m., Whitehall Park or Pigeon Point Park. Rooted Beaufort is a collective of local Yoga teachers who host outdoor yoga classes and donation-based events with proceeds being donated locally on a rotating basis.

HISTORY

Beaufort History Museum at the Arsenal

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays, 713 Craven St, Beaufort. General Admission for Adults $8, Seniors $7 Active Duty Military and College Students with ID $5. Children/Teens younger than 18 Free. Explore and experience more than 500 years of Beaufort History with knowledgeable docent guided tours.

The Historic Port Royal Museum

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or upon request, Thursdays through Sundays, The Historic Port Royal Museum, 1634 Paris Ave. The museum features the turn-of-the-century businesses and industries of Port Royal: Shrimping, crabbing, oystering, the railroad, the school and the mercantile. Great gifts featuring local artists are available. For more information. visit www.portroyalhistory.org, email historicportroyalfoundation@gmail.com or call 843-524-4333

Tour Historic Fort Fremont

Dawn to dusk, Monday through Sunday, The Fort Fremont Preserve, 1124 Land’s End Road, St. Helena Island. Free and open to the public.

The History Center is open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitors can learn about the fort’s history during the Span-

ish-American War through interpretive signs, self-guided walking tours with a smart phone, exhibits in the history center, and docent-led tours. For more information visit www.fortfremont.org or contact Passive Parks Manager Stefanie Nagid at snagid@ bcgov.net.

LIBRARY ACTIVITIES

“Lego” With Lego

4:30 to 5:30 p.m., every Tuesday, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena Island. Free and open to the public. Ages 5 and up. No registration required. Come see our new and improved Lego Club. Choose one of our new Lego kits and get going. Call 843-255-6540 for more information.

Book Club 5 to 5:45 p.m., every Wednesday through May 22, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena Island. Free and open to the public. Ages 6 to 11. Registration is encouraged, but drop-ins are welcome. Books that make you smile. Make friends and share what you are reading. Call 843-255-6541 for more information.

Career Navigator

11 a.m. to 1 p.m., every Tuesday, Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort. Free one-on-one resume writing and job application assistance with a Career Navigator from Palmetto Goodwill. No appointments necessary. For more information call 843-255-6458

MEETINGS

Zonta Club of Beaufort

6 p.m., 4th Tuesday of each month, Smokehouse, Port Royal. Beaufort Rotary Club Noon, Wednesdays, Sea Island Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 81 Lady’s Island Drive, Lady’s Island. Catered buffet lunch, followed by a guest speaker. Prospective members welcome. For further information and upcoming speakers, please visit website www.beaufortrotaryclub.org.

The Beaufort Trailblazers – A Volunteer Group

8 a.m., first Thursday each month, Herban Marketplace, Beaufort. Anyone interested in supporting or building off-road/dirt/wilderness mountain biking/jogging/walking trails near is encouraged to attend. For more information, call 843-575-0021 or email universitybicycles@hotmail.com.

Emotions Anonymous International local group meeting

4 p.m, Thursdays, via Zoom. Emotions Anonymous International, (EAI), is a nonprofit program designed to help people with emotional difficulties. It has a chapter in the Lowcountry and members want others who feel the need to know they are welcome to participate. There is no charge to participate. They are based on the 12 steps and 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous and follow a specific format designed to provide the support and tools for navigating life’s painful difficulties. All are welcome. Anyone interested in participating may contact the group via email at EALowcountry@gmail.com or call or text Laurie at 252- 917-7082. For more information on EAI visit www.emotionsanonymous.org.

Rotary Club of the Lowcountry

7:30 a.m., Fridays, Sea Island Presbyterian Church, Sea Island Parkway, Lady’s Island. A light breakfast is provided before the program. For further information and upcoming speakers, please visit our website at www. lowcountryrotary.org or contact our President, Bob Bible a reconmc@aol. com or 843-252-8535

MUSIC

Beaufort Drum Circle

6:30 p.m., Friday, April 12; 5:30 p.m., Sunday, April 28, Gazebo at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Bay Street, downtown Beaufort. Put it on your calendar and join us. The Drum Circle is growing as we welcome new members and folks who may want to come and just listen, dance or join in. Bring a friend or neighbor to see what we are all about. No experience or musical training necessary. Bring a chair and a percussion device. If you do not have any percussion instrument, don’t worry, we have loaners.

OUTDOORS

The Beaufort Tree Walk Lady’s Island Garden Club invites you to take a meandering walk

through the Historic “Old Point” and enjoy some unique and noteworthy trees. The “Walk” takes about an hour, is a little over a mile starting at the corner of Craven & Carteret streets in Morrall Park and concluding in Waterfront Park. Booklets with map and information about each tree are available free at the Visitors Center in the historic Arsenal on Craven Street.

Tours of Hunting Island Every Tuesday, Hunting Island State Park, 2555 Sea Island Pkwy. Free, park entry fees apply. Sponsored by Friends of Hunting Island Keeper Ted and his team. For more information call the Hunting Island Nature Center at 843-838-7437. The next Tuesday is August 1

SEWING/QUILTING

Maye River Quilters

10 a.m., Saturday, April 6, Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 1 Cooperative Way, Hardeeville. To attend as a guest, please email RSVP to mayeriverquilters@gmail.com. For more information and membership forms to join the group, call 978-464-0585

American Needlepoint Guild Meeting

10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 1st Tuesday each month. The Hilton Head Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild welcomes anyone, beginner or experienced stitcher, who is interested in needlepoint to join us for stitching, learning and fellowship. For more information, please contact us at hiltonheadislandchapter@needlepoint.org.

Embroidery Guild of America Meeting

Second Tuesday of every month, Palmetto Electric Community Room, Hardeeville. The Lowcountry Chapter of the Embroidery Guild of America welcomes anyone, beginner or experienced stitcher, who is interested in any type of embroidery including needlepoint, cross-stitch, surface and beaded embroidery, hardanger, bargello, sashiko, etc., to join us for stitching, learning and fellowship. For more information, please contact us at lowcountrychapter@egacarolinas.org.

SPORTS/GAMES

Kiwanis Club of Hilton Head

Cornhole for Charity Tournament

1 p.m., Saturday, April 27, Lincoln & South Brewing Company, 138 Island Drive, Hilton Head Island. This year’s tournament will benefit SOAR Special Recreation of the Lowcountry. Cornhole teams will compete for cash prize donations to the local youth cause of their choice. Sign up to compete and sponsor the event by visiting https://hhikiwanisorders. weebly.com/.

ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Tuesdays, Carteret St. United Methodist Church. Games and events will be held weekly. Director Gene Ogden. Contact Jane Simpson 803-226-3491

Beaufort Masters Swim Team

6 to 7 a.m., Monday through Friday, Wardle Family Port Royal YMCA. Coached practices. Ages 18 & older, all skill & speed levels, no prior swim team experience needed. Visit lowcountryswimming.com for more information.

ARTS

SCETV’s ‘By The River’ returns for a national Season 3

10 new episodes coming from literature-focused series co-produced by USC Beaufort

From staff reports

“By The River,” South Carolina ETV’s (SCETV) half-hour literature-focused series co-produced by SCETV and USC Beaufort, has returned for a nationally distributed Season 3

Hosted by Holly Jackson, the weekly, 10-episode series presents in-depth interviews with Southern authors from inside a coastal library on the banks of the Beaufort River. From historical fiction and Southern mysteries, to stories of agricultural Southern life, Jackson explores a wide variety of Southern stories and writers.

“By The River” will premiere locally on SCETV-HD at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, April 4. Viewers outside of South Carolina should check their local listings for when the show will air on their local public television station.

“By The River” is being distributed nationally by American Public Television (APT) to viewers of public television across the U.S. The program, which first aired in 2018, will begin airing on public television stations across the U.S. in April. As an APT-distributed series, “By The River” will also be available for streaming on the PBS app and on PBS.org.

As a love letter to Southern stories and the authors who write them, By The River explores the inspiration, passion and writing that it takes to create a Southern

story. Jackson engages authors as they tell stories, share their love of reading and give advice for aspiring writers. Season 3 explores a wide variety of Southern stories and writers including historical fiction, Southern mysteries, agricultural Southern life and Southern psychology.

“This series has been a labor of love, a journey into the heart of Southern stories, and an exploration of the incredible talent that resides in our region,” Jackson said.

“‘By The River’ is more than just a television show; it's a celebration of the written word, a tribute to Southern authors, and an opportunity to connect with diverse narratives.”

Achieved in partnership with USC Beaufort (USCB), “By The

River” is produced and directed by Caroline E. Sawyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication Studies, and consists of a student crew of USCB Communication Studies students. The student crew for Season 3 includes Danielle Cobb, Shannyn Hall, Aaliyah Newman, Maria Saccani, Abigail Vining and Tyler Yates. Numerous USCB students have worked on “By The River,” majoring in Communication Studies, English, Media Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Jackson is the Director of Operations at ETV Lowcountry, one of SCETV’s four regional studios.

A former local television news reporter and anchor, Jackson now uses that experience with the USCB broadcast students who

conduct classes at the studio twice a week.

A native of Bishopville, S.C. and a graduate of the University of South Carolina, Jackson has earned multiple awards and honors, being awarded the Radio Digital Television News Association’s Edward R. Murrow regional award for Excellence in Writing three times. She was also recognized by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters for Best News Reporter in 2018

A closer look at “By The River’s”

Season 3: Episode 301: Chanel Cleeton – Holly Jackson and author Chanel Cleeton discuss Chanel’s book, The Cuban Heiress

• Episode 302: Beverly Bowers Jennings – Holly Jackson and Master Naturalist and author Beverly Bowers Jennings discuss Beverly’s book, Shrimp Tales: Small Bites of History

• Episode 303: Michael Dewitt, Jr. – Holly Jackson and multiple award-winning journalist and author Michael Dewitt, Jr. discuss Michael’s book, Wicked Hampton County

• Episode 304: Terah Harris –Jackson and seasoned librarian and author Terah Harris discuss Terah’s book, One Summer in Savannah

• Episode 305: Susan Zurenda

– Jackson and author Susan Zurenda Susan’s book, The Girl from the Rose Motel

• Episode 306: Debbie Taussig-Boehner & Lauren Housman – Jackson and authors Debbie Taussig-Boehner & Lauren Houseman discuss Debbie & Lauren’s book, The Suitcase: The Life and Times of Captain X

Episode 307: Dr. Jeannelle Perkins-Muhammad – Jackson and psychotherapist and author Dr. Jeannelle Perkins-Muhammad discuss Dr. Perkins’ book, Into-Me-See

• Episode 308: Joshilyn Jackson – Jackson and author Joshilyn Jackson discuss Joshilyn’s book, With My Little Eye Episode 309: Donna Everhart – Jackson and author Donna Everhart discuss Donna’s book, When the Jessamine Grows

• Episode 310: Denny S. Bryce

– Jackson and author Denny S. Bryce discuss Denny’s book, The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander Funding for “By The River” is provided by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina. More information on “By The River,” and episodes from previous seasons can be found at https:// www.scetv.org/watch/by-the-river.

From staff reports

Thibault Gallery will feature the art of Becca Sipper throughout the month of April.

An animal artist, Sipper creates art inspired by the landscape and wildlife found throughout the Lowcountry. She works in ink, acrylic and graphite on handmade paper and wood panels.

A dream of Right Whales led to Sipper’s newest line of work, her Gold Moon Series. Hoping to highlight the importance of our local wildlife and generate conversation about their role in our coastal environment is a goal of her work.

Metallic gold watercolor, black ink and strong lines come together to highlight the mystery and strength of our local creatures and the role they play in our imagination. Sipper’s work will be shown in the front window at Thibault Gallery with multiple new pieces in the Gold Moon series debuting at the gallery during the month of April.

For more information about Sipper's work, including dates and times for Thibault Gallery hours and showings, visit the gallery website at https://www.thibaultgallery.com/ or contact Mary and Eric Thibault at 843-379-4278

date is Wednesday, May 8

Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to unwind, enjoy a movie on the lawn where the movie was filmed, network, and support Friends of Caroline Hospice.

Holly Jackson is the host of SCETV’s “By The River.” Photo courtesy of South Carolina ETV

Afew readers have asked me lately about my thoughts on the coming eclipse. I’m sure that almost everyone has heard by now about the total solar eclipse on April 8. It will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. The questions that many speculate about include events like when planets come into a straight line or when there is unusual activity in the heavens, and whether or not this is God trying to relay a message of warning to us.

I begin by saying that I am not an expert in astronomy, astrophysics, astrometry, or cosmology. I respect science, but do not agree that everything began on its own. I have also not spent years studying astrology, (which means cycle or circle of little animals) and realize that many people follow this ancient philosophy that believes all heavenly bodies including constellations have influence over or are directly involved with human events.

I am a theologian and base my worldview about God and life on the Bible. Whatever the perspective, Let us be aware of the amazing order and accuracy of our earth, moon, and sun

that stands as a declaration of God’s infinite power and authority. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” Psalm 19:1

My emphasis today is spiritual discernment. We all have opinions about everything especially when it comes to religion and politics and an eclipse is no different. My speculations do not matter or your opinions; what matters is what God is saying. It’s always been that way. I wish I could proclaim to you His specific message for this eclipse, but honestly, I sense that He is simply reminding us that He is the Almighty and in total control. As the architect of all things including the universe, (Isaiah 40:26) let us worship Him in the wonder of who He is. He is offering His grace, mercy, and love to everyone today and we pray that many will receive Christ as their Lord before it is too late. There is a world of imagination out there and you can read from now until next Monday about what everyone thinks, but pray and ask God to give you a personal revelation about this.

Eclipses have inspired fear and awe among civilizations throughout history, from the Aztecs to the ancient Hindus. They're also associated with some major religious events, including the darkness that accompanied Jesus when He was crucified. In the gospel of Mark 15:33 we read, “And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” Will there be signs in the heavens before Christ returns? Absolutely! Acts 2:20 says, “The sun shall be turned to darkness and the

moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.”

Also, read Luke Chapter 21. Is the April 8 eclipse when Jesus is returning? I say no as the Bible explains certain things must come to pass before the second coming. Is it a harbinger of judgment for the world because of their rebellion? Possibly. I believe God is always warning us to stop our evil ways and it’s only because of His grace we have second chances. I do believe that God speaks through signs and wonders and there is a way to listen to the Holy

Spirit as He guides us into all truth, but to hear the still small voice of God one must draw near to Him. With this being said, it’s also common for human nature to be superstitious about cosmic events like a blood moon, but this does not mean there is a paranormal or supernatural event happening. An eclipse will naturally happen when objects are moving around one another. They are quite common, with a total solar eclipse occurring somewhere on Earth approximately once every 18 months. Partial solar

eclipses occur several times per year, while total lunar eclipses occur virtually every year in most parts of the world.

Since Jesus spoke in Matthew Chapter 24, there have been thousands of total and partial, solar and lunar eclipses. None of them seem to have had any significance to end-times Bible prophecy. We need God’s wisdom and discernment about all things and to not allow our emotions to guide us.

MalcolM GoodridGe

Malcolm Goodridge died peacefully at his home today at the age of 87 in Beaufort County, South Carolina.

Malcolm was born and lived in New York City during his formative years. He was dyslexic throughout his life and never graduated from high school.

After serving two years with the 101st Airborne Division, he attended Hobart College, and barely graduated in 1961. In the nineties he became an active Trustee at Hobart College.

His career began with the First National City Bank (CitiCorp) and then continued at American Express Co. where he spent 25-plus years. He developed the successful account manager concept for the company’s major travel related customers. His motto? “When you dance with the customer, make sure they lead”.

While at American Express, he was honored in 1998 by the Lab School in Washington, D.C, as a successful dyslexic business leader. (an event hosted by First Lady Nancy Reagan)

University and the original owner of the Waldorf Astoria) by establishing a scholarship in his name for students who reside in upstate New York.

He was married to the late Susan W. Goodridge for 57 years. He is survived by his four children, Katherine, Charles, Tyson, David and 7 grandchildren.

In Lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the “Boldt Scholarship”, Northern New York Community Foundation, 13 Washington Street, Watertown, NY, 13601 ATTN: Rande S. Richardson- rande@nnycf.org

Wayne is preceded in death by his son David Wayne Willis, mother Helen Gertrude Willis, father Troy Willis, and sister Sue Cozad.

He

Following a successful career with corporate moves to Memphis, Chicago and London, he and his wife Susan of 57 years, moved to Beaufort County in 1995. While in Beaufort, he became very active in local organizations. He established a foundation, raising almost $1,000,000 to help children who learn differentlyhelping 350 children in eight Beaufort County Schools. While living in Boston, MA in the late 90’s, he became involved with the Boston Boys and Girls Club, mentoring 10 young men from Charlestown - through high school and beyond. All became solid citizens, following his motto “Never Give Up!” and “It’s not how hard you fall, it’s how high you bounce.”

Harold ‘Wayne’ Willis

Harold “Wayne” Willis, 80 of Beaufort, SC, passed away on Sunday, March 17th at his daughter’s residence in Richlands with his family beside him.

His final endeavor was to honor his great-grandfather, George C. Boldt ( a past trustee of Cornell

Wayne proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps and was a veteran of the Vietnam War. With the heart of a patriot, he firmly believed and sacrificed for God and Country. While serving he earned many honors, medals, and decorations with his most prized being the Bronze Pistol Badge. After his time in the Corps, Wayne spent over thirty years working as an avionics mechanics instructor at Flightsafety International.

Wayne was known for his unwavering love and devotion to his family. As a father, he was a pillar of strength. He cherished his role as a husband, offering support and encouragement to his beloved wife. As a Papa, he showered his grandchildren with love and wisdom, creating cherished memories that will last a lifetime. His four other loves were planes, trains, photography, and guns. A devout Christian, Wayne, lived his life with faith, kindness, and compassion. He was actively involved in his church community, spreading love whenever possible.

Malcolm Goodridge Harold “Wayne” Willis

BILLY HOLLAND

Second Recruit Training Battalion Change of Command

Istep back from my normal efforts to educate military members and veterans, and their families, caregivers, and survivors on veterans’ benefits this week to encourage more veterans to become journalists.

My journey to becoming a weekly contributor to The Island News and a less often contributor to more than 20 magazines, newspapers, and journals in the U.S., Germany, and England has been a long, surprising, and rewarding adventure. From high school storyteller to Army pilot, from small business owner to big business regional manager, and from novelist to newspaper columnist, I never used to think of myself as a writer but rather a person who writes as an important part of my work.

Every career field requires good communication skills

In my many careers as a hospice founder and CEO, soldier, aerospace and defense industry regional manager, police officer, proposals manager and writer, business process re-engineering instructor, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and writer, I have written hundreds of business plans, lessons plans, training plans, safety plans, logistics plans, procurement plans, articles, and dozens of other things required by business and government to operate smoothly.

Veterans bring good things to journalism

challenges of starvation, illiteracy, rampant lawlessness, brutality, dishonesty, terrorism, and a myriad of other challenging circumstances. Few citizens have seen the importance of our alliances and partnerships with other countries like our military members.

Veterans have worked successfully and alongside other government departments (like State, Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement, Commerce, etc.) to provide disaster relief and national defense.

Advice for veterans seeking to become writers and journalists

I offer the following pieces of advice:

The veteran perspective Veterans’ perspectives are important in each field of journalism because: Veterans were taught to focus on attention to detail and journalistic writing demands details and facts.

• Veterans bring a unique view of the world to journalism – a view based on both civilian and military education, vast amounts of training, frequent world travel, a pledge to selfless service, an oath of allegiance to the United States of America, and a broad view of tragedy and the insanity of war.

The vast majority of veterans are honest, ethical, moral, and hard-working men and women who have been ambassadors of goodwill in each country they were stationed.

Veterans are among the few Americans who have seen the

One thing I know for sure is that as a veteran, you can bring good things and a unique and valuable view to journalism. Only about seven percent of the U.S. population living today has served in the U.S. Military. What is alarming is fewer than one percent of Americans have served in the U.S. Armed Forces since the end of the Vietnam War. Less and less US citizens have an understanding of the value of U.S. foreign policy, treaties, and essential to survival organizations like NATO, the United Nations, and the U.S. Armed Forces. Americans just do not realize the dangers our enemies in Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China pose to not only Americans but world peace.

Follow your bliss. Do what you enjoy doing and you will never work another day in your life. If writing is your bliss, then learn about writing by reading, taking writing courses, reading, practicing writing, reading, practicing writing, reading, pursuing writing, and never giving up.

Meet your other obligations. Writing competes with your family, dog, exercising, house chores, yard work, travel, deadlines, full-time job, and other obligations. It is easy to justify not having time to write or market your writing.

So, until your writing generates enough income and security, you will probably need to hold other jobs to “get by” while working to become a successful journalist.

Be honest, ethical, kind, understanding, compassionate, accurate, humble, and fair. Journalists should

never forget that their first obligation is to tell the truth. Journalists must do their best to seek reliable and accurate facts when writing. They must do their darndest to write in terms that can be fully understood by their audience. Being as transparent as possible about sources and methods is also essential in journalism. Although it may not always be possible to avoid hurting feelings or publishing something that may prove to be less than totally accurate, journalists should do their best to be as kind, compassionate, ethical, factual, empathetic, and honest as possible. Avoid propaganda, advertising, fiction, sensationalism, and entertainment. Journalism is storytelling with a constructive purpose, not fiction or advertising. Yet journalists are not free from bias. To counter their biases, journalists must strive to use objective methods, like consistent testing of information, in every part of their research. They must represent interviews accurately, as interviews are essential in journalism. Serve as a fearless and selfless independent monitor of power. Honest journalists are one of the best and most important checks on those most powerful in society. The branches of our government and our citizens need a free press to keep evil in check. Journalists are counted on to ensure those with the most power, be it numbers, wealth, or other factors, are held accountable. Journalists must serve as an honest and ethical

watchdog over those whose power and position most affect citizens. Journalists must be the trustworthy voice for (and to) everyone, especially the voiceless and weakest members of our society. Join professional writing organizations aligned with your interests. Military Veterans in Journalism (MVJ), Military Writers Society of America (MWSA), American Society of Journalists (ASJA), Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), American Press Institute (API), and

LARRY

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